"Now is the time for all good men to come men to the aid of their party." What originated in 1867 as a typing exercise became a rallying cry for candidates to get involved in the two-party political system of the 20th century.
And, while the quotation may seem a little outdated today, in a bit of an altered state it could still deliver an important message that would ring true in present-day politics. Because now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their community with important elections on the horizon in Los Gatos and Monte Sereno.
There will three seats up for grabs on both the Los Gatos Town Council and the Monte Sereno City Council in November, and there will also be competition for three seats on both the Los Gatos Union School District and Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District boards. And with some office-holders not opting for re-election, that means there will be openings for those with a passion to serve.
The filing period may still be five months away, but now is the time for candidates to begin formulating plans if they have intentions of making a run for office in the fall. And it's critical that we have good people step forward to make that run to create competitive fields and offer voters choices.
Two years ago it was disappointing to see Erin Garner and David Baxter run unopposed for council seats in Monte Sereno. The disappointment was not in the performances of Garner and Baxter as councilmen and mayors--both were exemplary. No, the disappointment was that the democratic process was shortchanged because voters were not presented a choice.
That won't be the case this year in Monte Sereno. Three seats are open, and two will likely be vacant. Barbara Nesbet will be termed out, and Mark Brodsky has indicated that he has no intention to run. That leaves Curtis Wright as the only incumbent on the ticket.
Such will not be the case in Los Gatos. Three seats will be open, but Diane McNutt, Joe Pirzynski and Mike Wasserman are all expected to run again. Los Gatos will be well served if all three are reelected, however the democratic process will not be well served if someone doesn't step forward to oppose them in November.
The same is true in the school districts. Terms are up for Phil Nielsen, Cynthia Chang and Ron Adolphson in the high school district, and Nielsen had already indicated he has no intention of running again, leaving at least one opening. Tina Orsi-Hartigan, Kathleen Bays and Phil Couchee are also wrapping up terms in the Los Gatos Union School District.
We need capable people to step up and run for office this year to give voters a competitive field of candidates to choose from. The filing period may run from July 17 to Aug. 11, but now is the time for some good men and women to come to the aid of the community by making a run for public office.
