The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Roy Grundstrom sits among some of the wooden toys he's handcrafted for his grandchildren.

This summer, the 'real' mayor of Sunnyvale serves his final term

By Justin Berton

The elected mayor of Sunnyvale, Jim Roberts, can tap a wooden gavel at the start of each City Council meeting, but he doesn't have a red cap. Not one like Roy Grundstrom's, anyway.

The stylish baseball cap with gold trim has the words "The Mayor" stitched on the front.

Grundstrom, 74, wears his cap proudly on special occasions, because he has been appointed by friends and faithful constituents in the closely knit neighborhood near Las Palmas Park as their mayor.

"Kids on their bikes," Grundstrom said with a little embarrassment, "they salute me and say, 'Hey, it's the mayor.' "

But this weekend, as many neighborhoods in Sunnyvale close off their streets for a traditional Fourth of July block party, Grundstrom's constituents will be celebrating his final term.

Grundstrom and his wife, Lois, have decided to move back to their original home in Minneapolis, Minn.

The two are on a waiting list to move into a retirement center there, where they have friends and family.

The mayor--Grundstrom, that is--recently had to explain to a little girl why the couple couldn't stay in their two-story home.

"We're getting older, and Mrs. Grundstrom isn't able to get up and down the stairs as easy anymore," he told the girl.

"Well then," the girl asked, "can't you find a house that's built all on one story?"

Other neighbors--not just the kids who enjoy the daily dose of free candy the Grundstroms dish out--will also miss the mayor and the first lady of Oneida Drive.

"He is such a great guy," said neighbor Sue Schroeder Larson. "He really deserves a pat on the back for all he's done for the neighborhood."

Grundstrom's duties as mayor keep him busy. If a neighbor is on vacation, it is Grundstrom who takes out the garbage, picks up the mail and brings in the newspaper. He repairs bikes for the neighborhood children and teaches them how to make toys and fix things.

"It just makes a better feeling all the way around that people know someone is looking out for one another," Grundstrom said.

Roy and Lois Grundstrom moved to Sunnyvale in 1966, when the surrounding areas were still cherry orchards, as many longtime Sunnyvale residents fondly recall.

"This looked like the nicest and the easiest [community], and all that jazz," Grundstrom said.

Grundstrom and other neighbors who commuted to San Francisco pooled resources to charter two buses to make the commute.

The gang of commuters enjoyed each others' company so much, even after work, that they began hosting small gatherings to celebrate their friendship.

Now, even after years of turnover in the neighborhood, Grundstrom and his core constituents still find the time to celebrate family and friendship.

There are block parties to celebrate Memorial Day, Labor Day, Christmas and, of course, the Fourth of July.

At each of these bashes, Grundstrom can be found sporting his red cap that his neighbors presented to him two years ago.

A new family to the block heard the mayor would be stopping by to welcome them to the neighborhood.

Not long after meeting Grundstrom, the neighbor asked, "Do you also know the mayor of Palo Alto?"

Grundstrom was quick to explain that his jurisdiction was only that of the neighborhood.

"She musta thought I was the mayor of Sunnyvale," he said with a laugh. The phone call for a spot in the retirement center could come any day, Grundstrom said. The couple is expecting to be gone by year's end.

"This has been a great experience," Lois said. "We've found it to be a very friendly place."

And though Grundstrom said he will miss his old neighborhood in Sunnyvale dearly, the new district will have a few responsibilities waiting for him.

"I'm sure they'll have things that need fixing there, too," Grundstrom said.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, July 1, 1998.
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