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Photographs by Douglas Rider
Matchup: Kris Cunningham, left, emphasized her long track record of being involved in the community while Ken Yeager, a community college district trustee, billed himself as more experienced because he serves as an elected official.
Dist. 6 council candidates face off in first two debates
Cunningham, Yeager emphasize history of community activism, local involvement
By Kate Carter
District 6 city council candidates Kris Cunningham and Ken Yeager faced off last week at two debates where each emphasized their record on neighborhood involvement.
Other issues addressed at the Oct. 3 and Oct. 5 forums included parking and traffic problems, airport noise, historical preservation and how business and residential areas coexist.
The candidates each promoted their dedication to community activism and their experience with local issues.
Cunningham, a former Willow Glen Neighborhood Association president, contended that she had the hands-on experience of neighborhood activism that would be necessary and that Yeager did not have the same passion for the work.
Yeager responded by saying that his experience of working for politicians better prepared him for the job.
The Oct. 3 debate at the Three Flames Restaurant in Willow Glen was attended by over 100 people--in spite of the fact that it was competing against a presidential debate and baseball play-off games on television. The forum, moderated by West San Carlos Business Association board member Dave Thomas, was sponsored by the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association, the Alameda Business Association, the West San Carlos Street Neighborhood Business Association and the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce.
Cunningham spent the evening emphasizing her hands-on experience working with the city and the neighborhoods, and she questioned Yeager's commitment to District 6 and his appreciation for the intricacies of local government.
"I believe that Ken does not have a passion as I do for the neighborhoods and for our district," she said. "I believe that if he had, I would have seen him around more. I have been a neighborhood leader for years and years and years, and did not see him in the room. And that is one of the reasons why I'm running. I want local, independent leadership for this district."
Yeager acknowledged Cunningham's leadership and involvement, but said that he has the experience of city politics to be more successful.
"I also believe that I have been working very hard in our neighborhoods and for our city," he said. "It was 25 years ago when I was a student at San Jose State that we understood that neighborhood associations really didn't have any authority or power when it came to City Hall."
Yeager said he went to work for Susie Wilson, a former city councilwoman and county supervisor. "What I was doing there ... was doing all those things that people have been talking about that we want our city council member to do."
The main topics of the evening focused on business issues in the district, and particularly the relationship between the district's business and neighborhood areas. Both candidates talked about the importance of helping residents and business owners work together to preserve and enhance the quality of life created by the overlapping business and neighborhood areas.
The Glen became an example of how uneasy and complex that relationship can be. The Glen is the Lincoln Avenue restaurant whose application for after-midnight hours was actively opposed by then-WGNA President Cunningham in a years-long controversy beginning in 1996.
Cunningham said she was proud of her work to make The Glen adhere to the 24-hour policy that forces businesses located within 300 feet of a home to close after midnight.
"I believe in the policy," she said. "I think it's something that keeps peace in the neighborhoods. And I think that just as neighbors need to understand that they live next to a business district, businesses need to know that they are next to neighbors."
Yeager said that it was important to enforce the 24-hour rule "on a case-by-case basis. I think that we need to make sure that whatever effect that it might have on neighborhoods is clearly understood. That's why I'm a big supporter of the conditional-use permit." The conditional-use permit would allow businesses to operate on a trial basis, and if problems arose then their permit would be revoked.
Cunningham challenged Yeager to identify circumstances that would allow businesses to have late-night hours.
Neither candidate said they would support a legal waiver that residents would sign before moving into a business district. Both said doing so would prevent homeowners from ever complaining about the effects of business activity in their neighborhoods.
The candidates differed on the November ballot's Measure A that would extend a countywide half-cent sales tax from 2006 to 2036, to generate money for an expansion of public transportation, including the BART extension to the South Bay.
Yeager said he supports Measure A. "We've done a lot of studies on mass transit. I don't think we should wait anymore. When you think of everybody sitting in their cars--I don't think they want to wait another two years or more before something is decided." He pointed out that the city council members who are backing Cunningham are also Measure A supporters.
Cunningham said that, although it would be easier to support Measure A, she thinks there could be a better solution. "I wish it was a good proposal. Of course I back BART. Of course I want mass transit in our area. But this tax goes into effect in 2006. We have time to put together a good program that was not rushed. This is not traffic relief right now." She said that important leaders were not included in the Measure A proposal and that it should include money for road improvements.
The second forum was held by the College Park and Shasta-Hanchett Neighborhood Associations at the Temple Emanu-el in College Park the evening of Oct. 5.
Topics of concern for the sponsoring neighborhood associations and the audience included the Lenzen Caltrain maintenance yard, the San Jose airport expansion plan, the increasing development projects throughout the city, the new city hall, and parking and traffic problems associated with Bellarmine College Preparatory.
Cunningham and Yeager both claimed to be the most experienced candidate to deal with these issues. Cunningham cited her "hands-on experience that directly relates to the job," her grass-roots experience with neighborhood activism and her willingness to say what is right.
Yeager pointed to his experience working in City Hall and on the San Jose/Evergreen Community College Board of Trustees, his ability to work with people, and his involvement in education and in the neighborhoods.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
