The purpose of the May 14 meeting was two-fold: Association members voted for officers and directors and also heard from Kimberlee Gaddis, a crime prevention specialist with the San Jose Police Department.

About three dozen people filed into the recreation hall at Willow Glen United Methodist Church, where outgoing president John Gibbs officiated the final monthly meeting of his two one-year terms.

He introduced the new officers and directors as though they'd already been elected, particularly the association's first vice president, Helen Solinski, who ran unopposed for president.

The officials for the 2003­04 term will be Larry Ames as first vice president and Ellen Santomauro as second vice president, Cathy Marshall as secretary and Margaret Hardy as treasurer. The new directors are Charlie Luckhardt and Mary Salcido. Jim Spence is returning as a director, and Ed Rast, a longtime member of the North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association, will now be active in both associations. Positions will be officially announced at the association's June meeting.

Gibbs spoke only for a few moments before handing the floor over to Gaddis, whose presentation was an overview of services provided by the police department's crime prevention unit.

"It's true that for several years San Jose has been one of the safest cities for a city of its size," she said. "And a large part of why that is that the communities get together to talk about basic safety and crime before a crime happens."

However, it isn't like that in all of San Jose.

"You would not believe how many neighborhoods do not do what you're doing tonight," Gaddis said. "There are so many people who don't even know their next door neighbor, and this kind of isolation creates opportunities that criminals can take advantage of."

The crime prevention unit has a three-point focus: to act as a speakers bureau, as a referral service and as a liaison between community members and the police department.

Gaddis' presentation touched on familiar services, such as the very effective Neighborhood Watch program. This program involves a police officer meeting with a group of neighbors to teach them how to interact and communicate with police more efficiently and how to look out for suspicious activities.

The unit also has a new program on homeland security, which teaches residents how to better understand nationwide alerts, what resources are available locally and nationally, how to keep and maintain preparation kits, and the importance of an evacuation plan for homes and buildings.

"It was a good meeting because it was about neighborhood communication and crime prevention, which is essentially about knowing your neighbors," Gibbs said after the presentation. "And I think that's exactly what neighborhood associations are all about: getting to know the people in your community and watching out for each other."

That's a habit he hopes the association will continue to foster.

"I hope they remain more proactive than reactive," taking the initiative to address city and community issues rather than waiting for residents to complain about something.

Salcido, a longtime Willow Glen resident, has attended some association meetings and served on the beautification committee, but this was the first time she had sought an elected office within the association.

"The kids are older, so I have more free time," she said.

"I'd like to see Lincoln Avenue and the neighborhoods work together more," she said. "I think our downtown is what makes our little community what it is, and we want to keep it a nice relationship so everyone's happy."

Rast wants to work toward keeping things positive with both of the associations he belongs to.

"Of the issues I've seen, the associations have been able to work together," he said.

"I've seen a lot of issues that both associations share, not just the 600 homes in the north Willow Glen area. For instance the Tamien station area project addresses a wider area. The flood zone is another big issue that affects everyone."

He said he doesn't feel that too much of his time is taken between the two associations.

"It's only two evenings a month, and each group meets two weeks apart, so it won't be a problem," he says.

Incoming president Solinski has been an active association member for six years, but this is her first time running for president. It is not the most opportune time for her to take this office due to family issues. "But it was the natural sequence: I was first vice president for a couple years. I figured it was time. I'm ready for the challenge."

She adds, "It's been a challenging year for us," referring to her personal life.

She spent the better part of 2002 on crutches recuperating from a broken leg. Her husband is recuperating from having a brain tumor removed, and the couple is expecting their first son in July.

"I did spend a lot of time thinking about it. I know that John put in many, many hours as president, but personally I don't have any political aspirations," she said. "I'm just a neighborhood activist and that's it."

She also wants to emphasize that the annual Founders' Day event every fall is not what the association should be most readily recognized for.

"We're not event coordinators. There are a lot of issues coming up that are going to require a lot of attention, such as the Tamien station project and the creek trails. I don't think we need to worry about monster homes much this year, because nobody has any money" to build.

Other projects the association will monitor is the Albertson's grocery expansion in the Mission Square/Willow Glen Village shopping center at Bird and Minnesota avenues, and the Fruitdale station project that's been on hiatus since last summer. The association will also monitor how budget cuts within the Valley Transportation Authority will affect the area and traffic issues associated with the Valley Christian School campus, which recently relocated to Leigh Avenue near Hamilton Avenue.

"There's a lot to keep us busy," she said.