John Howe
Age: 55
Occupation: Realtor

If reelected in November, John Howe would be the senior member the Sunnyvale City Council, and that institutional memory is one of the traits he says makes him the best choice for Seat 3 in the upcoming election.

"I have a good working relationship with the current city council and city staff, and I think it's good to have someone with that longevity on the council," he said.

Mayor Dean Chu, Vice Mayor Ron Swegles and council members Melinda Hamilton and Otto Lee were all elected in 2003, and both Fred Fowler and Julia Miller have reached the end of their 8-year tenures.

But Howe's involvement did not begin with his first council term. For more than five years, he was a Sunnyvale planning commissioner. The near-decade he has spent in a leadership position has given him a close look at many of this campaign's hot topics, including the slow improvement of Sunnyvale's economy after the "dot-bomb," and the revitalization of the downtown.

Howe said he feels a sense of responsibility with the Forum Development Group's downtown project and wants another four years so he can see it through.

"I want to see the downtown mall completed and see the 100 block of S. Murphy Avenue become vibrant again," he said.

If given another term, Howe said he would continue many of the programs and efforts of his first term.

During his 2003-2004 stint as mayor, Howe started the city's roundtable discussions with local business groups such as the El Camino Real car dealerships and local motels and hotels. He said he wants to continue those programs.

In addition to bringing businesses together with the city, Howe was also instrumental in the city's unique budgeting process, where several weekends each year are devoted to public discussion and information gathering. For the past two years, the council has gathered public opinion on budget items so they can prioritize them according to the community's wishes.

"We want to continue to have the public meetings to make sure we do exactly what the public wants," Howe said.

He said the council has also managed to reduce the city's budget deficit, and increase the number of neighborhood organizations in Sunnyvale.

The city was able to return funding to the Department of Public Safety's Narcotics and Vice Unit and fully fund the Traffic Division, two areas he would continue supporting to maintain Sunnyvale's reputation as one of the nation's safest cities.

For more information, visit www.electjohnhowe.com.

Nancy Smith
Age: 42
Occupation: Technical writer,
consultant

Small business owner Nancy Smith has the distinction of being the only candidate in the 2005 Sunnyvale City Council race going up against a sitting council member.

"It was a difficult decision to make, going against an incumbent, because right off the bat you're at a disadvantage," Smith said.

As John Howe's sole opponent, Smith, 42, is working hard to show herself as a strong candidate and a worthy alternative for Seat 3.

After two years chairing the Housing and Human Services Commission, Smith said she is ready to step up to the council.

One of her primary concerns is turning Sunnyvale back into a viable economic center, returning jobs to residents and revenues to the city.

"The city almost needs to reset itself after this economic downturn," she said.

Smith--who owns her own consulting firm and works as a technical writer for NVIDIA Corporation--says the city needs a "startup mentality," to look at how to make money and how to make what money it has go farther.

Part of that work is to get the downtown development project finished and make sure small businesses have a chance to be a part of the "lifestyle center."

"I'm a small business owner, a lot of the people endorsing me are small business owners, and I hope we can find space for small businesses."

To do so, Smith advocates working with local businesses associations--or creating new ones--to promote positive growth. And she thinks she is the best candidate to do that.

"This is the time when we should be pulling together and we should be helping our business community, but I just don't see any leadership in that direction right now."

She also wants to return Sunnyvale to a more open form of government. She cites her opponent's treatment of former City Manager Robert LaSala and Parks and Recreation Commissioner Ray Pole as examples of the current council's closed government practices.

Howe made a motion at a council meeting to advise the parks and recreation commission not to promote the vice chairman of the commission. At the time, the vice chairman was Pole, although Howe refused to identify him at the meeting. Howe gave no reasons for his recommendation. The motion was not approved by his fellow council members.

"I think that the council touts itself as having an open approach to government, but I think their actions speak differently," Smith said.

For more information, visit www.nancyforcouncil.com.