Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Many hats: Joe Pirzynski

Joe Pirzynski says he's in the race for Town Council

By Jeff Kearns

Joe Pirzynski, a man who wears many hats, decided last week to throw a hat in the ring for one of three Town Council seats opening up in November.

Pirzynski, a planning commissioner, is not talking specifics on issues yet, but says the town still has a lot of work to do as it decides where to go from here.

On growth and development, he says his orientation is toward preservation and careful planning, but adds that an anti-growth position is too extreme. "The way the density and economy of the community will grow best is by understanding how to preserve and let the commercial environment thrive at the same time," he says.

It's a tough line to draw, especially during an election year in a small town that prides itself on character. Pirzynski says he expects that the General Plan Task Force report due to be completed in the fall will be key in helping find the right balance. The task force is entering its second phase in moving toward a general plan update. The general plan, which must be updated periodically, is the blueprint for the town's future growth.

"That's what we should focus on: what's it take to enhance the community but not diminish it by moving too quickly for short-term gain," he says.

Pirzynski was appointed to the Planning Commission in December and currently serves as chairman of the General Plan Committee, which was instrumental in developing the Los Gatos Boulevard Plan.

Pirzynski also serves as board president and commander of the volunteer Disaster Aid Response Team which provides support to the town in emergency situations ranging from fires and storms to mountain and urban search and rescue. According to Pirzynski, DART--now some 60 members strong--was created in 1982 in response to Proposition 13 cutbacks to the town budget.

Additionally, Pirzynski sits on the board of the nonprofit Los Gatos Community Foundation, which supports local projects in a variety of ways, including offering its nonprofit umbrella for short-term community efforts. Pirzynski says the foundation is about halfway to its goal of raising $50,000 for a new gazebo in Oak Meadow Park.

Pirzynski works as a teacher and counselor at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose and has a private practice in Los Gatos as a marriage and family counselor.

Working as a counselor, he says, has given him an understanding of and appreciation for dispute resolution. Bringing people to the table to talk isn't that different, whether it's a married couple with problems or the usual square-off between developers and a neighborhood, he says.

"We really need to move away from the adversarial model and come to the table earlier, so the whole process is more cohesive. Once you do that, the adversarial model drops away," he says.

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