Rumors had been flying that Vice Mayor Sandra "Sandy" James, who was slated to be the next mayor, would not be voted in by the council. Some were even predicting demonstrations. But James did, in fact, win the unanimous support of the council and became Cupertino's next mayor.

Anticipating a vote that could go either way, Councilman Richard Lowenthal had even prepared two versions of his speech. All city council members, including the newly elected Kris Wang, received at least 60 emails from James' supporters and opponents, arguing why she should or shouldn't be the next mayor. Some of James' supporters even threatened a recall if the council members didn't vote for her.

The Cupertino City Council traditionally selects the council member who won the most votes in the previous election to be mayor. And James, who was elected with the highest number of votes in the 2001 election, was in line to be the next mayor.

The resistance to James as mayor came from the Chinese American community who believed James hadn't dealt with the whole brouhaha that developed when she protested the naming of a community building after Fred Chan, who pledged to donate $250,000 to furnish the new library. Her comment "What do we know about these people?" was perceived as a racial remark.

Some believed James needed to apologize for what they said was an insult to Chan.

Rumors that James might not be voted in as mayor spread at an even faster speed when the World Journal, a Chinese-language daily, reported that former Mayor Michael Chang urged James to apologize.

The Nov. 24 World Journal article quoted Chang, who said he agreed with the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club that James was "less able to make the community feel at ease" if she didn't apologize.

After reading the article, Chihua Wei, founder of the Organization of Special Needs Families, immediately contacted James, telling her that he was willing to organize a press conference for her, where she could formally apologize to the Chinese community.

"I told Sandy that the harm could be fixed easily," Wei said. "I believe that we need to look forward and stop letting the naming controversy keep haunting the community."

"I organized this press conference because it is the right thing to do," he said.

In the Nov. 25 press conference, telecommunication commissioner Steve Ting warmed the stage for James by sharing his daughter's story. Ting's daughter, born and raised in the United States, was offended when a woman told her she spoke good English and asked her where she learned English.

"Although the comment was said with a good intention, my daughter felt offended because the woman judged her whether she is an American by the color of her skin," Ting said. "The same situation could be applied in Sandy's case. She said something without a bad intention but people might feel different."

Flanked by community leaders such as Mahesh Nihalani, Om Talajia and Michelle Hu, James said, "Community members have helped me realized that my comments earlier may have offended some members of our community and for that, I do apologize. It is time for the community to move on."

Despite James' apology, one community member who attended the press conference, said she felt the conference was too "rosy."

"What Steve's daughter's got was a compliment. But when Sandy said 'What do we know about these people?' it was not a complimentary statement," said the Asian American community leader, who prefers to remain anonymous. "The cultural miscommunication might be the same, but I don't think it is the right analogy."

But the apology was warmly welcomed by most people. "A lot of community leaders have worked hard to ask Sandy to apologize and that apology finally came one day before Thanksgiving," said Hu, co-chairwoman of the Lunar New Year Unity Parade. "Finally everybody can have a happy Thanksgiving."

However, nobody was sure how much the apology could help James secure her term as the next mayor. That was why the Dec. 1 city council meeting began with suspense and uncertainty. People whispered and tittered when James said in a videotape the city made for former Mayor Chang: "You are an outgoing mayor and I am an incoming mayor."

Offering an olive branch to James, Chang said he predicts that James will be a great mayor next year. "Sandy made an apology to the community. That showed your excellent track record as a community leader," Chang said. "Your gesture really helped bring the community back together. I look forward to your term as a mayor."

In spite of the rumors, the new council unanimously elected James as the next mayor.

Lowenthal was the first council member to comment on the nomination. His frank comments set the candid tone for a constructive discussion for the rest of the evening.

"I have received a lot of mail forcefully saying that I must vote for Sandy as our next mayor," Lowenthal said. "My decision is not based on these letters. I have had the chance to work with Sandy as a council member and as mayor. I know that her heart lies in doing what she thinks is best for Cupertino. Sometimes I don't agree with what she says or does. Frankly, I didn't agree with her on the very issue that provoked most of those letters."

"My vote is guided only by what I believe is best for Cupertino," he added.

Councilman Patrick Kwok said, "Cupertino is facing many issues right now. The mayor issue is irrelevant. The press conference demonstrated that Sandy is a great leader."

In a later interview, Councilwoman Dolly Sandoval welcomed the result. She said she was especially a victim of the rumors because some people said she wanted to be the next mayor.

"I don't know who started the rumors. It was not my term and I never campaigned for that position," Sandoval said. "I called Sandy and had a frank discussion with her about the rumors. She believed in my honesty and I believed in hers."

Chihua Wei, who organized the Nov. 25 press conference for James, said, "We witnessed a torch being passed from one great leader to another. I see five leaders sitting together. You will bring harmony to our community."

James said she was relieved by the outcome.

"The media label us as a council not being able to live together. That is not true," James said. "We live together. We go to school together. And we will spend the next year proving to ourselves and the community that this is a council they can look up to."