I read your Oct. 20 opinion piece about the current state of the city and its council. I can see how yourself and the city resident you quoted could construe events as you have. At first glance it may appear that the city council is responsible for the resignation/retirement of so many staff. My conclusion is that they are largely responsible but not for the reason you suggest.

Another reason to consider is that the city council for the first time is making all city staff/manager truly accountable for their departments.

Closer scrutiny is due in this case. I see how this might frustrate department heads but it's a better use of time and money than simply rubber-stamping everything.

The city council is essentially asking staff to perform better then hitherto demanded. In this economic climate, in particular, this care and scrutiny is essential.

Too long has the city council bent to the whim of city department heads.

Some more investigation on your part might shed a little light and credence to what I've stated here.

Karl Manson

Sunnyvale

Letter does disservice to hard-working employees

Normally we in government do not respond to letters to the editor, but sometimes we must. Yolanda Risch's letter in the Nov. 3 issue of The Sun does a disservice to our city council and every hard-working, dedicated employee in the city of Sunnyvale. Despite Risch's cries that the sky is falling, Sunnyvale remains a well-managed city with a bright future. The Nov. 9 city council vote naming Amy Chan the new city manager is proof.

Risch has had her same diatribe published elsewhere as she shops her misguided disinformation around. But let's look at the facts.

First, let's be clear that only two city employees work directly for council: the city manager and the city attorney. Risch's claim that council somehow was involved in the departure of other staff is groundless.

As Sunnyvale Councilman Fred Fowler pointed out in his Nov. 3 letter to the editor, change is not new to Sunnyvale. In 1999 there were protests that Sunnyvale would suffer when there was a staff turnover. Not only have we not suffered, we continue to thrive, achieving extraordinarily high service-satisfaction ratings from our residents and maintaining our position of one of the 10 safest cities of all sizes in America.

Risch empirically states that people don't leave when they are happy. Like most generalizations, this is simply not true. Personal goals and quality-of-life decisions may dictate change, as in Library Director Vickey Johnson's departure to head up a much larger library system and Human Resources Director Mark Gregersen's decision to take a job closer to his home in the Sierra foothills, eliminating a lengthy weekly commute and keeping him closer to home and family.

And while Risch is quick to point out the city is paying our former city manager and city attorney for their accrued leave, at no time does she point out this is a requirement of law. Accrued leave is considered pay for time worked and must be paid. Period.

Finally, despite her banal predictions of mass walkouts, this has never been and is not now the case. Turnover among staff—including senior staff—is part of the healthy evolution of an organization. And the appointment of Chan as city manager is proof of this city council's concern for the city and staff. The appointment came following Chan's performance review during which council examined her leadership over almost a full year.

Council believes Chan's performance thus far has been outstanding and that she has had a tremendous positive influence on staff and the city as a whole. Based on that review, along with her more than two decades of management experience in Sunnyvale, council made a decision that will benefit the Sunnyvale community far into the future.

John Pilger

Communications officer for the city of Sunnyvale

Article failed to mention
Sunnyvale giant Atari

In your history lesson about Silicon Valley in The Sun's Nov. 3 article "Council may let Sc[I]³ go ...," you left out Atari. How could you?

Atari was the springboard of the video-game industry that began and still exists today. The industry is still crawling over Atari's gigantic footsteps. Nolan Bushnell should have claimed a significant berth in your article, and I consider this a huge error of omission. Apple was birthed in the shadows of Atari, indeed springing up exactly next door to the Atari Engineering building on Borregas

In its heyday, Atari was the darling of Silicon Valley, and there was hardly a day when Atari was not somewhere in the headlines of some local newspaper in the valley.

I know, because I worked there for six years in its glory days. You probably don't realize this, but there is still an active core of Atari software programmers. Recently, the group reunited at the San Jose Convention Center under the aegis of Classic Gaming Expo on Aug. 21 and 22. The current body of software gamers include writers from original Atari competitors: Mattel, Intellivision, and Collego, as well as the offshoots of Activision and Imagic.

Before the CGE show was moved to San Jose, it was held annually in Las Vegas. Their website is www.cgexpo.com and email is info@cgexpo.com.

Jason, Atari was an integral part of Sunnyvale through its expanding years until 1985, when it was sold to Jack Tremeil.

Unfortunately, like his earlier computer company, he throttled the life out of Atari, and after a few years of struggling to make it without the gaming segment, Atari died an unnatural death—even the highly successful Coin-op division.

Jan Boehm, formerly known as Jan of Atari

FortyNinerJan@aol.com -or- FortyNinerJan@Yahoo.com

DeCinzo complainers
need to lighten up

When the Sunnyvale Sun arrives, the very first thing I look for is the cartoon by DeCinzo. Those who complain definitely lack a sense of humor.

Lighten up.

Patricia Burkley

Sunnyvale