Editorials

Cooney leaves blueprint for working and living

Russell "Russ" Cooney's last day as town manager of Los Gatos took place in 1976, when the country was celebrating its bicentennial. A quarter century later, people still remember Cooney, describing him as a principled public servant who seemed to find a balance between his job and his family.

Obviously, his work in Los Gatos amounted to more than just a paycheck; he made the town his home after his 1976 retirement. Cooney and his wife, Julia, lived on Los Gatos-Almaden Road until she died in November 1999. They had been married for 61 years. Cooney's daughters recall their dad as being driven, but for the right reason; he wanted to give his family a better life.

Cooney's sense of family seemed to extend to his profession, where he mentored his eventual successor, Bill Avery. Avery described Cooney as "the single biggest influence on my career."

Those who worked with Cooney during his stint at town manager from 1967 to 1976 say he was diplomatic without being wishy-washy; a straight-shooter who knew his stuff.

Cooney died July 20 of natural causes. He was 87. Based on recollections of his life, Cooney obviously knew how to successfully run a municipality. He also apparently knew a few things about living an honorable life, a nice counterpoint to the Gary Condits of the world.

Workers need better pay

Baby boomers, the huge group of Americans born between 1947 and 1961, are getting older. This generation will likely have a tremendous impact on goods and services targeting older Americans, especially nursing homes.

With the disintegration of the extended family, more people are basically relying on the goodness of strangers to see them--or family members--through their last years. But taking care of another person, especially someone who has degenerated physically and mentally, can be a tough job.

In the nursing profession, the ones who see to the basic needs of infirmed patients are often the nursing assistants. Locally, these workers earn between $8 and $12 an hour, a paltry amount given the nature of the job and the cost of living in Silicon Valley.

Not surprisingly, the combination of hard work and low pay is driving many of these workers from the profession. The problem is such that legislation to stem this tide of defections is currently making its way through the California Legislature. Assembly Bill 1075 will increase staffing standards at the state's nursing homes. The Service Employees International Union, which represents nursing assistants, hopes the legislation will improve working conditions for these workers. The union is also pushing for higher pay.

Studies from the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine show that higher staffing levels at nursing homes result in better care. It shouldn't take a study or an academy to come to that conclusion; everybody knows that you get what you pay for.

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Photo: The Club Yahoo! 12s