Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Patrick O'Laughlin

O'Laughlin bows out of council race

By Dale Bryant

Councilman Patrick O'Laughlin will not seek reelection to his council seat in November.

O'Laughlin told the Los Gatos Weekly-Times he had been holding off his decision pending the results of a series of medical tests.

"I now have a diagnosis," he said, "and although the news is not as bad as we had feared, it's clear to me that my condition will prevent me from giving 100 percent. If I can't do that," he said, "it wouldn't be fair to run again."

O'Laughlin's ailment has been identified as spinal arachnoiditis, a very rare condition in which the membranes that cover the brain and spinal chord become inflamed. "The body reacts by deadening the nerves to protect them," O'Laughlin explained.

The condition is not life-threatening but, he said, it is painful and progressive.

Doctors originally feared a tumor at the base of O'Laughlin's spine. Just three years ago, he underwent surgery for a brain tumor.

O'Laughlin, a San Jose attorney, has been on medical leave from his job while doctors tried to diagnose his condition. "I don't know when or if I'll be able to return to work," O'Laughlin said. "But I think the handwriting is on the wall as far as a full-time litigation practice is concerned."

Because O'Laughlin's condition is so rare, little information is available on treatment or on the speed with which the disease progresses. "The medications are a bit of a roller-coaster ride," he said. "It's a frustrating thing to try and find the right combination of drugs because there are always tradeoffs." The condition eventually will result in some sort of paralysis, he said. "Even though I'll probably be in a wheelchair some day, I feel fortunate that I have all my faculties and I can still get around."

O'Laughlin served on the Los Gatos Planning Commission for six years before running successfully for the Town Council in1992. He was mayor in 1995. He said he intends to complete his current term.

"This is the hand I've been dealt," he said. "It's sort of a self-imposed term limit. I've enjoyed it, and I think I did some good, but now it's time to step aside."

Mayor Randy Attaway told the Weekly-Times, "I'm really saddened that Pat has to step down. On the council, he has been strong and independent with a commitment to the community that he complements with a strong work ethic."

Two council seats are up for grabs in November. Linda Lubeck, who came to office at the same time as O'Laughlin, is expected to seek reelection.

Town Hall watchers have speculated that if O'Laughlin did not run, it would be a wide-open election, and O'Laughlin agrees. In fact, he said: "I hope my announcement draws a lot of people out because it will help the community size up who has leadership potential, not just for this election but for the future."