Los Gatos Weekly-Times Photograph by George Sakkestad Jan Hutchins was elected a year ago following a campaign that emphasized his communication skills. Now, he'll be communicating as mayor. Jan Hutchins takes over as mayor By Jeff Kearns Jan Hutchins, elected mayor Nov. 16 by fellow councilmembers, is intent on posing a bit of a challenge for those people who love to hate the autocrats down at Town Hall. "I'm sort of the coach, the communicator," he says, sitting in his San Jose office. "That's why I like the relatively passive role the mayor plays in meetings. The council works because we have all these different personalities, and it's an interesting balance" Hutchins, who served last year as vice-mayor, took the gavel from Linda Lubeck. Steve Blanton was elected vice-mayor. Appointments last for one year. Lubeck says Hutchins is bright, articulate and the perfect man for the job. "During the next year we've got the general plan update coming up, and they could be some very interesting hearings," she said. "He'll be good at keeping them on track and making sure everyone is heard, because he's so good at communication." When Hutchins ran for mayor in 1996, it was on a platform of creating a form of communication for the town. What he's trying to build on now, he says, is the mood created by the General Plan Task Force, which involved dozens of residents who were getting involved with the town for the first time. Still, Hutchins wants more involvement from the residents. During his first meeting, when a woman in the audience asked a question, Hutchins, joking, invited her to come up and sit next to him behind the dais and look at the staff report in his binder. It got a laugh, but that doesn't mean he's not serious. It's more important, Hutchins says, citing the communication theory of Steven Covey, to understand than to be understood, and if the deal isn't a win-win situation, then no deal. Hutchins is seemingly surrounded with a swirl of positive energy. The town is working, the staff is doing a great job and people are happy, he says. "I want people to realize how well they're being served by the town, and how much they're welcome to participate and make it better," he says. And, he adds, "People in other cities envy us because the council is civil to each other." Hutchins, however, is hardly content with the status quo. One thing he wants to fix is how the town can sometimes be a candle in the economic wind. "I'm saddened by the fact that the town is so dependent on how the economy is doing," he says. "If it's not doing well, then we can't fix the holes in the streets." To tackle the problem, Hutchins says he'd like to have a dialogue on what the town can do to create an income generator that would make a big difference in the town's economic future. Hutchins isn't pushing his own ideas; rather he wants to hear suggestions. Many South Bay residents recognize Hutchins from his 10-year career as a newsman for KICU-Channel 6, which ended in 1991. After that, Hutchins went through a period of soul searching, and later landed a position doing public relations for the Giants. Later, he went to the other side of the camera as a producer for Kanga Roddy, a children's show on KTEH-Channel 54 that stars Pat Morita, Jennifer Montana and a kangaroo named Roddy. A native of small-town Ohio and a Yale graduate, Hutchins also began training recently as a yoga instructor. Hutchins is married to Teri Hope, owner of Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company. Between them they have three kids: Jordan, 17, Melyssa, 28, and Renee, 28, owner of Tangles hair salon. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, November 25, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.