July 15, 2004

Dando named head of San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce

Former District 10 council member will not run for mayor

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

In September, former Vice Mayor Pat Dando will return to San Jose to accept a key leadership position, but surprisingly not on the 18th floor at City Hall as many had expected.

Bob and Pat Dando at an event last year commemorating Dando’s 10 year tenure as a city councilmember. Photo by Kymberli Brady

On Tuesday, Dando was named president and CEO of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, the region’s largest, oldest, and most representative business organization. She will become the only woman to lead a large chamber of commerce in California, and one of only four women in such positions throughout the nation’s 10 largest cities.

Several attempts to woo her into accepting the job failed until Dando finally decided, after “a lot of consideration and discussions” with her family that it would enable her to unite her three passions together in one opportunity—a reunion with her family, the opportunity to continue her work with the greater San Jose business community, something she says she grew to love over the last 20 years, and the ability to expand her involvement to include all neighborhoods across the city in an effort to make them better places to live and work.

“I turned them down a couple of times,” Dando says. “But they continued to talk to me about all of the things I care deeply about in San Jose. When you put those three things together, I thought, what else could one person hope for in their next job?”

Schwarzenegger disappointed
Dando admits that although she is looking forward to assuming her new role, she will be leaving the governor’s administration with mixed emotions.

“I did not have any intentions of leaving,” she says of the role she assumed six months ago. “I like working with the governor dealing with cities and towns across the state. It’s been an incredible opportunity to get to know the issues, large and small and to have an impact on making their communities a little bit better. I wouldn’t change it for anything. It’s been challenging and I believe it is important work that he is doing.”

She admits that Schwarzenegger was disappointed but “kind” in his comments, telling her that no one ever stood in his way when opportunity knocked on his door and he would not stand in hers.

The announcement also puts to rest rumors of a mayoral bid in 2006.

“I have made a commitment to the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber that I will be with them—God willing, for a number of years,” she says. “I am not going to run for mayor.”

Until then, Dando has agreed to assist the governor in finding a replacement, followed with a period of transition before she heads back to San Jose sometime in September.

“Pat [shown at last year’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for the UPS Store on Meridian and Redmond avenues] has proven her commitment to small business,” says 2006 Chamber Chair Terry Austen. “She helped launch Almaden Valley Business Association, so she understands the critical role small business plays to our region’s overall economic health.” Photo by Kymberli Brady.

“I’ve had several conversations with him over the last few weeks as I’ve been debating this with myself,” she says.

“Last night we spoke for quite a while and he wished me luck. We both agreed that we will have the opportunity to work together on a great many issues and programs over the next several months and I plan on staying in San Jose."

Sacramento’s loss, according to several community leaders, will once again be San Jose’s gain, even if they say it isn’t as the next mayor.

“Many thought that Pat would run and win the [mayoral] election,” says Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage. “Still, I’m glad she’s with the chamber. She is very well liked in this community and I think she’s going to do an outstanding job. She has a good business sense and I really feel her heart is in San Jose.”

Last January, Dando was appointed director of Local Government Affairs by Schwarzenegger after leaving the San Jose City Council due to term limits. She was recently selected for the Chamber position by an Executive Search Committee comprised of Chamber Board and Political Action Committee leaders. While she will no longer share the governor’s office, they say she will play a crucial role in implementing one of his critical initiatives—to improve and enhance the relationship between local governments and the state.

Chamber eagerly pursued Dando
Chamber Chair William B. Baron says the search committee approached Dando soon after former Chamber President and CEO Jim Cunneen announced his resignation.

“Pat is one of San Jose’s most respected and highest profile leaders,” says Baron. “We are delighted she has accepted the challenge of leading the Chamber and our efforts to improve the business climate in Silicon Valley.”

Currently three city council members, Cindy Chavez, Dave Cortese and Chuck Reed, have thrown their hats into the mayoral race. Dando’s decision not to run for mayor leaves the race wide open now for another political candidate to enter the race who is aligned with the business community and to oppose Chavez who has the support of labor. In her new capacity as head of the Chamber Dando says she will have an active role in supporting a mayoral candidate through the Chamber’s political action committee.

“COMPAC has been gearing up for the 2006 elections for years,” adds Bernard Vogel III, 2005 Chair of COMPAC, the Chamber’s political action committee. “Pat Dando is a fierce advocate for business and has an excellent understanding of the political landscape.”

The San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce is the largest broad-based business advocate to government in the Santa Clara Valley and whose membership represents 2,000 private sector companies and non-profit organizations of all sizes from every industry within the area.

Structured around leveraging its membership and its knowledge of laws and regulations, the Chamber helps businesses protect their interests with city, county, state and federal governments. The nonprofit organization promotes pro-growth fiscal policies and financial investment in order to stimulate the Silicon Valley economy and strives to create jobs by providing products, producing events, and delivering services in order to help companies reduce costs and grow their business.

“Pat has proven her commitment to small business,” says 2006 Chamber Chair Terry Austen. “She helped launch Almaden Valley Business Association, so she understands the critical role small business plays to our region’s overall economic health.”

“Although I’d love to see her as mayor, this [chamber post] is a good home for her,” adds Supervisor Gage. “I respect her. She has done so well with the community and now, following Jim’s work, she can take the Chamber where they want to go.”

Jim Cunneen, a former assemblyman who moved to San Jose’s Cisco Systems earlier this month after serving four years as the head of the Chamber, praised the selection committee’s choice.

According to Cunneen, no one fits the bill as perfectly as Dando, whose three decades of public service includes leading the effort to build the downtown arena and bring the Children’s Discovery Museum to San Jose, as well as positions on the Transportation, Communication and Public Works, Economic and Community Development, Finance, and Technology committees, membership in the California League of Cities, and president of the Santa Clara County Cities Association. Prior to her election to the City Council, Dando also served as a senior staff member to former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery and held an executive position with the San Jose Redevelopment Agency.

“Right now, San Jose and Silicon Valley need a leader who understands the business community, public policy, and politics,” says Cunneen. “The Chamber is lucky to have Pat at the helm. Pat and I launched the Almaden Business Association together and helped nurture the organization. The experiment has really proven successful and it’s now a very viable group in its own right. Personally, I’m delighted that the Chamber is staying in Almaden hands.”

“The governor gave me an unbelievable opportunity during a historic time of change,” says Dando. “I am honored by his confidence in me and thankful for the experience. I was not looking to leave the governor’s staff, but San Jose is my home, the Chamber is a special organization, and the opportunity was unique. I am pleased they recruited me for CEO and I look forward to leading the Chamber and the Silicon Valley business community forward.”