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Letters
Murky thinking in school rejection
Joann Liao reports (The Sun, Aug. 4) that Challenger Schools was denied a permit to educate children in the former Mary Manor grocery store. Opposed Councilmember Jack Walker dictated: "I want to see this site remain commercial." He doesn't say why. Astrology? Opposed Councilmember Fred Fowler preached: "[No school] in his location because this location needs to serve the neighborhood." Needless to say, a school there would have served the greater world, beyond a narrow neighborhood. (Should murky thinking be tolerated in politicians?)
Imaginary school traffic was a major concern with alarmists, but not with the city traffic engineer. Yet neighborhood opinion was "sharply divided" over allowing the school. Almost 400 residents signed a petition against, among them perhaps some regular voters and cash contributors. Who is to say if motivation was obvious even if wrapped in a smokescreen of piety. Anything but children.
In my opinion, only the rebuffed Challenger Schools and its friends came away with clean hands. Meanwhile, the lost school site goes on being deprived of the laughter and diligence of youth, or anything else.
Robert J. Thoen
Sunnyvale
The Sun does shoddy job of city reporting
What a contrast! Last week's Sunnyvale Sun blasted by inference the leadership ability of city manager Bob LaSala because "key" city employees resigned (though I take issue with the city clerk being labeled a key employee.) Sunday's San Jose Mercury News, on the other hand, featured an article about new team-building opportunities for San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales resulting from the resignations of three truly key city employees--the city manager, the redevelopment director and the city attorney. Furthermore, the Merc's "Insider" column made it clear that "spending more time with grandchildren" was not the real reason these three, who are not ready to retire, left the city of San Jose.
There are several obvious differences. First, the San Jose Mercury News recognizes change is an inevitable result of new leadership; The Sun questions new leadership if there is change. Second, employees who leave the city of San Jose show professionalism by not bad-mouthing their boss; some former Sunnyvale employees, especially the former city clerk, fail to show that "class." Finally, the San Jose Mercury News reports changes in city policies and practices resulting from major personnel changes: The Sun rarely follows up on such sensationalized reporting of those changes.
The Sun's cover graphics were cute, but cuteness doesn't excuse sloppy reporting.
D. Chan
Sunnyvale
City changes should be expected
If a $180 million Silicon Valley company brought in a new CEO and that CEO did not evoke or invoke any changes, then the effectiveness of the new leader would be brought into question. Why then, is the city manager of Sunnyvale, who operates a $180 million budget, held to a different set of leadership qualities?
I'm not defending the person or management style of our city manager, Bob LaSala. In fact, there was even discussion about the management style of his predecessor, Tom Lewcock. Rather, I'm most surprised at our sudden amazement that change has actually occurred. Surely we expected change when we brought in a new city manager after a long period of time with the same leader. Surely we expected that personnel would be at odds with a new and different leadership style. Surely we expected that things would change.
One councilmember noted in your previous article that Sunnyvale will go on because of the resilience of our city and its employees. After all, they survived with Public Safety not having a contract for over two years. They survived the removal of a mayor a few years back and also survived an arrest of another mayor many years ago. And let's not forget that all these issues started or occurred before Bob LaSala.
We should always question the effectiveness of our leaders and hold them accountable to their actions. But let's not be short-sighted when it comes to changes in Sunnyvale. Change is inevitable. Is this change in leadership traumatic? No. Is it terrific? We won't know until we embrace the challenges of change that's before us now.
Ray Montalvo
Sunnyvale
Far too few facts in leadership story
I usually enjoy and appreciate your coverage of Sunnyvale's city government. However, there were far too few facts in your story about Sunnyvale's city manager and his office to support your sensational headline in your August 4th issue. Moreover, the facts presented didn't convince me that our city faces a leadership crisis--which is not to say there isn't one--just that you didn't prove it.
For example, you state that over the last five years, the city's employee turnover rates have "nearly doubled." You never state the rate of turnover five years ago, today, or the average turnover for cities the size of Sunnyvale. Are these "rates" for all employees, managers, senior managers? Yet your headline screams, "Now employees are leaving en masse." You simply failed to prove any such thing.
Nor was your attempt to use statistics to prove your points fair to the city manager, who has been in office for only two of the last five years.
Most of the article relied on "he said, she said, they said" anecdotal information to build a case. I hope you will revisit this story and fill in some of the holes. If there's really a "crisis," I, and many others, want to know.
Dave Flack
Sunnyvale
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
