Saratoga News


Foundation leader Norm Abrahams	Incumbent Joy Atkins	College student Chris Constantin	Committee member Frank Jewett	Incumbent Phil Stokes

Five-way race for three seats on the West Valley College board

By Cecily Barnes

The five-way race for three seats on the West Valley-Mission College District's board of trustees presents three familiar faces and two newcomers, Frank Jewett and Chris Constantin.

All five candidates have definite ideas about where the college district is going, but the two incumbents, Phil Stokes and Joy Atkins, and the ex-trustee, Norm Abrahams, display a knowledge of where the district has been and where it stands today.

The college district is seeking new visions for the 21st century. But it is also facing hot issues, such as the ongoing stadium conflict with the city of Saratoga. The city filed a lawsuit last March, in an attempt to curtail noise during athletic events. West Valley students will be looking to trustees to resolve this legacy of town-gown antagonism.

First elected in 1983, incumbent Phil Stokes, 60, said he wants to be re-elected to ensure that the Mercado Shopping Center is successful and that the college gets some $800,000 annually in lease revenue from this project. The commercial center with 20 movie screens is being built on district land in Santa Clara.

"The main reason I'm running again is to keep my finger in the dike. There are some board members who are too friendly to the developers," said Stokes, a Saratoga resident.

Stokes said some concessions have been made in the past to developers to keep them happy. He suggested that instead his goal would be to keep the college happy by enforcing lease agreements.

Stokes, who earned a master's degree in applied linguistics from San Francisco State University, wants to begin a program for at-risk kids in danger of dropping out of high school or not making it to college. He proposes bringing in groups of high-school students to take classes at the college to make the transition easier. He also proposes utilizing technology to expand the number of students the college could reach.

"I'm big on technology," he said. "I want to see us in a position where we can educate more people and educate people who can't come into the college."

Norm Abrahams, 67, served on the West Valley-Mission College Board from 1983 to 1992, when he lost his seat to Karin Dowdy. Originally president of the Mission Land Foundation, Abrahams helped grind out the specifics of Interland's Mercado Shopping Center lease agreement. Now, four years later, he says he's ready to come back and finish what he started.

"The kids [at Mission College] have no student center. [They] have a right to have a student center," said Abrahams, who lives in Los Gatos. Abrahams emphasized his desire to help finish Mission College. Many of the buildings on that campus are temporary, he explained, and the students deserve a completed campus.

In addition, Abrahams explained the pressing importance of expanding the educational facilities at West Valley and Mission. The number of students starting grammar school this year is at an all-time high, he said. This means that in a few years the community colleges will be inundated with an influx of students. Abrahams, who holds a bachelor's degree in pubic health from UC-Berkeley and a dental degree from UC-San Francisco, hopes to prepare the college for these future students.

On the board since 1988, Trustee Joy Atkins has a history of involvement with West Valley and Mission colleges. After graduating from West Valley College in 1976, Atkins worked as a district administrator for 16 years. Atkins proposes the college increase vocational programs and maintain the quality of its transfer program.

"We have to keep up with technology and offer our students what they need to go out and compete in the job market," she said. "It's not cheap but I think it's important."

Atkins also emphasized the importance of improving the college's public image. Now retired, Atkins said she has plenty of time to devote to being a trustee."My primary interest is in doing things that directly benefit the students," she said.

Frank Jewett, 33, has an administrative background, having served on various boards and committees, including Campfire Boys and Girls and the San Jose Medical Center Charitable Foundation. However, other than an unsuccessful attempt to secure an Assembly seat in 1994, Jewett is a newcomer to public office.

"My vision for the district is that together we should strive to reach new heights of excellence based on expanded opportunity, expanded growth and expanded hopes that the best days of this college are ahead," said Jewett, a San Jose resident. "We all need to be 100 percent a part of the solution."

Jewett has focused his campaign on three primary issues: top leadership, educational excellence and fiscal responsibility. Specifically, Jewett proposed upping the number of district-business partnerships, beginning endowment programs and fostering a technological base for the district.

"As we stand on the dawn of a new century, we've got to make sure we're developing strategic partnerships with industry," said Jewett, who holds a bachelor's degree in economics from San Jose State University.

Jewett said he has been making rounds to high-school principals to find out what students need and want.

Chris Constantin, 20, believes students need and deserve to be represented by their peers.

"Education has changed a lot," said Constantin, who is a student at San Jose State. "It will be more beneficial for a student to have a representative who is right in the middle of things."

Constantin proposes expanding the college's extension programs, addressing Mission College's poor parking situation and forging partnerships with Silicon Valley businesses so that more internship opportunities will be available to students.

Because Constantin lacks any visible campaign and did not attend either of the candidates forums held at Mission College, other candidates have questioned the seriousness of his campaign. Constantin admitted he's kept a low profile out of fear of age discrimination. But he says he's committed to familiarizing himself with the college's history and practices.

A banker, a student, a dentist, a teacher and a retired administrator: All five of the candidates have strong ties to education. Each has proposed a plan of how to escort the college district into the 21st century. However, only the three veterans have expressed definitive ideas on issues the district is dealing with.

Stokes said the football stadium issue should go to the people for a vote.

Atkins sides with the students on the stadium. "I think there should be a district stadium," she said, "[but] maybe a study would show Mission College as a better site."

Abrahams argued that students should have full use of their academic facilities, including the physical-education field.

At Mission College's candidates forum on Oct. 16, Abrahams stated: "I have absolutely no further political aspirations."

What about the other candidates? Atkins has never run for another office and said she never intends to. Phil Stokes has previously run for both the Saratoga City Council and the state Senate. Nonetheless, he assured the forum attendees, "I have no desire to run for political office beyond this."

Constantin ran for a place on the Republican Central Committee this past March, but he, too, vowed he had no political motives.

Jewett, who ran for Assembly, was the only candidate who didn't jump on the bandwagon.

"It's really hard to speculate on what the future may hold," he said. "But at this point in time, I want to focus on doing the very best I can if given the opportunity to serve."