Kicking off a year that he hopes will bring increased interaction between community groups and the city of Sunnyvale, Mayor John Howe attended the Jan. 8 neighborhood meeting for the Sunnyvale Neighbors of Arbor Including La Linda—affectionately known as SNAIL. Vice Mayor Dean Chu and Planning Commissioner Charles Hungerford joined the meeting to answer questions.

Association members talked with the mayor about various issues, including the Borregas bridge on a frontage road, saying they thought it was going to increase traffic in their neighborhood. They were also worried about the cost to the taxpayers. Howe explained that the VTA is paying for the bridge and the project has already been approved.

Residents said they wanted to see downtown Sunnyvale revitalized and also discussed other issues.

Howe said the meeting was the first of many. He will be taking council members and commissioners with him into the community for these meetings, to see which issues residents are talking about outside of council chambers.

Howe said it was a chance to hear from people who do not normally get a chance to weigh in on issues.

"They have issues in their neighborhoods, and I think the folks that came really knew what they were talking about," Howe said.

SNAIL President Connie Cook-Turner said the members of her organization pay attention to the issues of the city through volunteer work and watching council meetings. "We are a solutions-oriented group. Our program has always been more of an 'If there's a problem, what can we do to fix it?' approach," Cook-Turner said.

Many of the issues brought up are ones already being worked on by the city, but it gave SNAIL members a chance to weigh in from the comfort of their own neighborhood.

"When you're on top of things, you know what's happening and often have input you want to put in, and you have the opportunity to before it's set in stone," Cook-Turner said.

The group's expression of one concern, the ending of the downtown summer concert series—because of budget issues—pleasantly surprised the mayor, because, he said, it was an issue that isn't being brought to his attention anywhere else.

"It was an example of local government at its absolute best," Howe said.