By Allison Rost

By running for Sunnyvale City Council Seat 6, Michael Flores says he wants to bring leadership back into the hands of the people. A 27-year Sunnyvale resident, Flores ran for city council two years ago against current mayor Julia Miller and has not found the ensuing city administration to his liking.

"Council has lost its way," Flores says. "I can analyze multiple points of view and synthesize that into something that represents everyone." He wants to use his experience with technology to broaden how Sunnyvale residents contact their city government.

First on his agenda is placing the controversial city budget online, not just for reference, but as an interactive tool. "The budget needs to be in electronic format so people can manipulate it on the web," Flores explains. "It's so massive that there's no way I can simply pull stuff out of it that needs to be changed. We need multiple eyes on it."

Flores says such a setup will educate the public on what really goes into every financial decision, such as how much money each employee costs the city.

He also wants to create an online arena for Sunnyvale residents to voice their concerns. "Each person has their hotspot," he says. "If you don't touch on those, they won't pay attention." Flores proposes a method by which residents could sign up for an email service on upcoming council events and agenda items pertaining to their areas of interest, be it city parks or traffic problems.

This grass-roots approach marks Flores' other areas of concern as well. He dislikes the fact that those city council candidates who secure lucrative sponsorships often end up winning.

"If you send out a few rounds of mailers, the cost can reach up into the thousands of dollars," he says. "There are plenty of ways in which we can run non-cost campaigns." Flores would like to see the city sponsor campaigns and make municipal buildings and parks available for candidate forums free of charge.

As for Sunnyvale's nascent economic development, Flores says he would prefer concentrating on areas outside of downtown. "The center of Sunnyvale does not have freeway access," he says. "It's one thing to attract people from Sunnyvale, but we're not ready to bring in people from other areas." Flores would instead like to see a mall built near Moffett Field to bolster that area. He also vehemently does not want to see the lanes on Mathilda reduced as has been proposed. "That would cut Sunnyvale into two halves," he argues.

With ideas that fall outside of the Sunnyvale mainstream and a failed council run under his belt, Flores may seem like a masochist for giving city council another run, but he says he's up for it. "I love pain and anguish," he says with a laugh.

Michael Flores

Age: 52

Occupation: Small-business owner, computer consultant

Education: Associate of engineering degree from Oregon Institute of Technology, bachelor of science from San José State University.

Community Involvement: Member of Sunnyvale Neighborhood Association, school volunteer.

Family: Married with three children.

By Pallavi Somusetty

Ron Swegles is a groupie, but not for a music band. Every Tuesday night Swegles can be spotted hanging out at the city council meeting. He prides himself on knowing everything there is to know about city issues.

Swegles, who's running for Sunnyvale City Council Seat 6, is a poster child for Leadership Sunnyvale, the city's yearlong leadership training program.

Going through the program gave Swegles the motivation to get involved in the community. And since his graduation in 1992, Swegles has immersed himself in all things Sunnyvale.

"It's very easy to sit back and criticize what's going on in the city government. I didn't just want to complain. I wanted to improve things," says Swegles.

Straight out of Leadership Sunnyvale, Swegles went on to join the Chamber of Commerce board of directors and then served on the city's parks and recreation commission. He currently serves on the planning commission.

"The planning commission really provided insight into how the city is growing. Now I have a diverse knowledge of issues that affect big businesses and issues that affect small groups of residents in the city," says Swegles.

But Swegles' experience in leadership positions has gone beyond just city government. His work with the senior advisory council, Sunnyvale Historical Society, Rotary Club, Sunnyvale School District and Leadership Sunnyvale has given him a diverse knowledge of the city.

"It's important to reach out to all areas of the city to truly know how a city works," says Swegles.

Swegles would tackle the budget by eliminating the number of surveys the city takes, as well as restoring some public safety positions.

Another issue important to Swegles is affordable housing. "There is a lack of affordable housing in Sunnyvale. Instead of commuting from Tracy or Merced, people should have a chance to buy a home here in the center of Silicon Valley," Swegles says. He proposes opening a joint partnership with other cities to facilitate more housing opportunities for low-income families.

He also plans to visit community meetings such as those of parent/teacher associations to outreach to communities and people who might not have time to keep up with city issues or come to city council meetings.

Swegles was born in Wayne, Mich., and served in the U.S. Navy for four years. He came to Silicon Valley in 1984 and Sunnyvale in 1990. For the past 13 years, Swegles has worked as an administrator in the Willow Ranch senior mobile home community.

Ron Swegles

Age: 60

Occupation: Senior mobile home community administrator

Education: Attended Cleary College in Michigan

Community Involvement: Currently serves as planning commissioner. Member of the Leadership Sunnyvale Board of Directors, the Sunnyvale Rotary Club, the Sunnyvale Historical Society, the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce, the Senior Advisory Council. President of Western Manufacturing Housing Association­Silicon Valley Chapter. Graduate of Public Safety Community Academy. Rotarian of the Year 2003.

Family: Wife Gail, five children, nine grandchildren.