The Sunnyvale Sun

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Whittum beats out Chu for city council seat No. 4

By Cody Kraatz

Sunnyvale voters have unseated Councilman Dean Chu, electing Dave Whittum, a physicist and Heritage District Neighborhood Association leader, to seat 4 on the Sunnyvale City Council, according to Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters semifinal results on Nov. 8.

Council members Ron Swegles (seat 6) and Melinda Hamilton (seat 7) won with 60 percent and 58 percent of the vote, respectively, and Mayor Otto Lee was unopposed.

Meanwhile, voters approved nine of 11 ballot measures, including one creating a two-year mayoral term.

Measure G, an increase to council members' personal time off, and Measure B, a controversial $108 million bond to build a new Sunnyvale Public Library, failed. Although 59 percent of voters approved it, the library measure required a supermajority.

Whittum earned nearly 51 percent of the vote, beating incumbent Chu by 243 votes. He did not return calls for comment.

"I'm obviously disappointed with the result," said Chu. "My message either didn't resonate or didn't get out, and David worked very hard."

Councilman Chris Moylan pointed out that challengers Dixie Carney (seat 6) and Pat Meyering (seat 7) earned 40 percent and 42 percent, respectively.

"It says to me that a substantial fraction of the community is unhappy with the council, and it's incumbent upon us to determine why," he said.