Fedor to move from District 6 city office

Council aide to head up Diridon's state campaign

By Kate Carter

District 6 Councilman Ken Yeager is looking for a new council aide to handle issues affecting his Willow Glen constituency as his council aide, Denelle Fedor, moves on after less than a year with his office.

Fedor, 31, told Yeager and his staff last week that she would be stepping in to manage Santa Clara City Councilman Rod Diridon Jr.'s campaign for the 22nd Assembly District seat. Diridon said Fedor would be taking over the post on Nov. 1.

"There have been other opportunities besides Rod's campaign," Fedor said. "I've grown a lot here. I think it's time for me to look for other opportunities."

Fedor, who has lived in Willow Glen for almost six years, has been a regular fixture in Willow Glen since Yeager began his run for the city council in 1999. A former student of his at San Jose State University, she managed his campaign for both the primary and general elections that resulted in his winning the seat last November.

She then went to work in his office, focusing on constituent issues in Willow Glen and appearing at most Willow Glen Neighborhood Association and other neighborhood meetings. She helped put together a toned-down Founder's Day event this September after the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association canceled the traditional street festival. She has also been involved with the business association's efforts to redirect itself.

Yeager was out of town and unavailable for comment, but his chief of staff, Darren Deffner, said of Fedor, "She works hard, and she's always out in the community. She's very willing to work with the new person, and we're very confident that we'll be able to find a good replacement and that the transition should be very smooth."

Deffner said the office is hoping to begin interviewing for Fedor's replacement "as soon as possible" to allow as much transition time working with her as possible. The job includes working extensively with neighborhood groups as well as on a wide variety of city government issues. He said the ideal job candidate would live in District 6 and in Willow Glen "because they're going to understand the issues better," but added that doesn't preclude excellent candidates from elsewhere.

Diridon, a Democrat and the son of former Santa Clara County Supervisor Rod Diridon Sr., said he was looking forward to having Fedor lead his campaign that began last February for the March 2002 primary, and then the general election the following November. His Democratic opponents for the district, which includes Cupertino, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and areas of West San Jose, are Sunnyvale Mayor Jack Walker and Mountain View Councilwomen Sally Lieber and Rosemary Stasek. The 22nd Assembly District is predominantly Democratic, and no Republicans have entered the race or are expected to do so, so the winner of the Democratic primary would likely win the seat.

Diridon said he asked Fedor to be his campaign manager almost three weeks ago. He had worked with her on Yeager's campaign and said he valued her intellect and work ethic. Diridon said Fedor has been working on his campaign during her free time so she'll "be ready to hit the ground running" when she starts full-time.

Fedor said she had been approached for jobs in both the public and private sectors.

"It's not new to working in this job," she said of the many job opportunities that have arisen for her.

Fedor said she plans to continue living in Willow Glen and participating in Willow Glen activities as well as continuing her friendship with Yeager and possibly working on a re-election campaign.

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For more information about the open council aide position, call Yeager's office at 408.277.5166.

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