Tim Risch
Age: 46
Occupation: Engineering manager

Former Vice Mayor Tim Risch has spent the last two years watching the Sunnyvale City Council from the audience, and he's ready to get back to the other side of the dais in council Seat 1.

Risch said that with the economic hurdles facing Sunnyvale, the city needs someone who understands business and government the way he does.

"I have experience, not only in the government sector, but also in the business sector, having worked in high tech for over 20 years," Risch said.

Risch--who holds a master of science degree from UC-Berkeley--also has extensive experience in local government. He served on the council from 1999 to 2003 and was elected vice mayor in 2002. He has also served on the Valley Transportation Authority Policy Advisory Committee, the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Authority and a number of other agencies and committees. He is a member of the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce and a 1992 graduate of Leadership Sunnyvale.

He is endorsed by former Sunnyvale Mayors Pat Vorreiter, Jack Walker, Manuel Valerio and Jim Roberts, among many others.

Risch said the city needs to work with its businesses to encourage growth in existing areas and promote Sunnyvale to outside companies looking to expand.

The economic development on many residents' minds this year is the ongoing mall redevelopment project.

Risch said that while it's important that the city finish the downtown project to bring in revenue from the residential, office and retail areas of the "lifestyle center," the council also needs someone who can look to future projects and the rest of the downtown.

In addition, Risch said the council needs a new set of ideas in the mix because the continued budget crunch demands new thinking. He said the current council has not been able to make the tough decisions necessary to ensure Sunnyvale's long-term success.

"The council has put off the tough decisions needed to make the budget sustainable by dipping into the city's reserves," Risch said. "I think we need someone with different ideas who can bring up ideas that may be contrary to the current way of thinking."

Risch acknowledged the animosity that has existed between him and the current council since he lost his reelection bid in 2003 and said it's time to put that aside for the good of the community.

"We all have to put the past behind us and recognize that we're here to assure the future success of Sunnyvale, it's not about what happened in the past," he said. "I believe that I have the mix of government and business background that will benefit the city and its residents."

For more information on Tim Risch, visit www.timrisch.org.

Tony Spitaleri
Age: 60
Occupation: Retired firefighter

Sunnyvale resident Tony Spitaleri has a long history of civil service, mostly in Palo Alto's fire department. But come November, Spitaleri wants to begin serving his home of 36 years in Sunnyvale City Council Seat 1.

The former fire captain said he wants to focus on increasing revenue without reducing services, solving Sunnyvale's housing crunch, working with the city's four school districts and strengthening relations between the city and the local business community.

This election is not his first experience in Sunnyvale's government. He has served as a parks and recreation commissioner and on the board of directors for the Sunnyvale Southern Little League.

Spitaleri has earned two high-profile endorsements, from both the Public Safety Officers Association and SUNPAC, the political action committee formerly sponsored by the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce. He is also endorsed by the entire Sunnyvale City Council.

To increase city revenue, Spitaleri said Sunnyvale needs to look at neighboring cities and see what services it can provide to those areas.

"We just need to look at those areas and see what we as a city have expertise in and what we can provide, to help other cities and to bring more revenue into our city," Spitaleri said.

The downtown redevelopment is also a concern of Spitaleri's because of its potential economic benefit. He said that in addition to revenue from the retail and commercial properties planned for the mall property, the just-under 300 housing units would help Sunnyvale solve its housing shortage.

Spitaleri is also concerned about the city's schools. He said that with four districts that have schools in Sunnyvale, there is a need for greater communication between them and the city to make sure each district is taken care of.

"With four different districts, you have four different structures, different philosophies and budget issues," he said. "But we still have an obligation as a community to make sure that our children are educated equally."

Spitaleri said that his time in Palo Alto has taught him how a city government interacts with its community and its employees and that those experiences make him the best choice for the position.

"I have one contract, my contract with the city's community, and if I'm on the council, I'll always ask myself at the end of the day if I've done well by my community," he said.

For more information on Tony Spitaleri, visit www.tspitaleri.com.