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Photograph by Jacquelyn Ramseyer
Fred Fowler was recently chosen as the mayor of Sunnyvale. His selection comes after serving four years on the city council, and after serving much of 2001 as the vice-mayor.
Just One Vote?
Though he may be 'first among equals,' Mayor Fred Fowler has the bully pulpit
By Jesse Ducker
According to Fred Fowler, being the mayor of Sunnyvale doesn't give him any more power than the other six council members. As he puts it, in the city's system of government, the mayor is "first among equals."
The mayor's real job, Fowler says, is to work as the "spokesperson for the people." It's a job that Fowler, as the new mayor of the city, takes very seriously.
Fowler has worked six years that he's lived in Sunnyvale to get to this point, four of those years, he's been a councilman. Fowler was re-elected to Seat No. 1 of the council and Nov. 6, and intends to continue to work hard and serve the people of Sunnyvale for his coming four-year term as mayor.
Fowler was born in Albany, Ga., in the southeast corner of the state. Soon after, he moved to Pennsylvania, living in the town of Westchester, outside of Philadelphia. He eventually moved to California, and has lived in Sunnyvale for the past eight years.
Fowler operates his own business, Fred Fowler and Associates, with his wife, Phyllis. As a computer programmer, Fowler says he works with large companies that run mainframe computers and helps adapt their software for ventures.
"I adapt old software to new conditions," he explains.
Fowler says he first got involved in city politics as the president of his neighborhood association in Lakewood Village. He says he realized he had to go to council meetings to give the neighborhood a voice if it was needed. He ended up going to every meeting for the next two years and was "fascinated" by what he saw.
"It was the best civics lesson I ever had," Fowler says.
He says he soon got appointed to different commissions, including a grueling stint on the Moffett Field Citizens Advisory Board. He eventually decided to run for council, he says, after people started assuming he was already planning on it.
"I thought and realized I could do it," he said. "I thought I would be good at it. I thought I could help the community, and had the responsibility to try."
Fowler foresees his primary challenge as mayor in "getting seven bright and intelligent people to work together. We have a very good council, so it shouldn't be that difficult. We all move more or less in the same direction. We all agree on the basics and fundamentals. We all agree about what's good about Sunnyvale; we only disagree on how to make it better."
Photograph courtesy of Fred Fowler
In this file photograph, Fred Fowler, then vice mayor, is seen running a council meeting.
Jack Walker, the last mayor of Sunnyvale, acknowledges that he and Fowler haven't always been on the same side of some issues.
"We've agreed on some things, and we've disagreed on others," Walker says. "But the job's there, and he understands the job."
Fowler recognizes the power he can wield as the mayor.
"The mayor's word has extra weight in the community," Fowler says. The council members are all smart people, and they all have the city's best interests at heart. We have to get these smart people to bang ideas off of each other. We have to govern and control that interaction process and make sure everyone's ideas get heard."
Fowler says he believes the council needs to focus more on neighborhoods. He envisions taking the focus off of city hall and working on neighborhood-based service delivery, as well as finding ways to get different departments within the city to work together.
One of the most important issues coming up next year will be what to do about the Moffett Field area of the city north of Highway 237, according to Fowler. There is also the issue of the land between Interstate 101 and 237, bordered by Fair Oaks Road and Morris Avenue. The land is currently being used for industrial purposes, and there's been discussion on changing the area for residential and retail purposes. While on the council, Fowler initiated a study to explore the effects of rezoning the area, and he is a strong proponent of making the change.
The new mayor will also try to address the effects of the economic downturn in Sunnyvale. Much of the city's revenue comes from sales, hotel and property taxes. Because the economic downturn has affected all three, the way council funds city services such as public safety, parks and libraries, will be affected as well.
"Our job is full of choices," he says. "It's very important to make good choices. We don't know how deep this hole is going to be."
Fowler says he is very thankful for his continued opportunity to serve the people of Sunnyvale.
"I believe I've helped influence the way the city deals with large issues and the needs of ordinary people," he says. "There's nothing more rewarding than having someone come up to you and say 'thank you.' I've been lucky enough to have had people thank me many times."
Fowler also encourages residents of Sunnyvale to get involved in city government if they have the desire.
"I encourage anyone who is curious to come to council meetings, read the agendas, watch the debates and participate," Fowler says. "Because that's how the American form of government works best ... The city still needs ordinary people to step forward and make government work."
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
