Willow Glen Resident

Letters & Opinions

City hall could use a breath of fresh air

If we were living in different times; if the city of San Jose weren't mired in secrecy and influence peddling and closed-door deals; if the mayor had not grabbed power from the city manager and micromanaged the city--with questionable results--we might have looked at the candidates vying to become mayor of San Jose in a different light.

Under different circumstances, we might have said experience counts, and the nod might have gone to one of the three sitting council members or to the candidate who previously served on the council.

But this year, we believe there is nothing San Jose needs more than a breath of fresh air. That's why Silicon Valley Community Newspapers recommends businessman Michael Mulcahy for mayor.

He's young and vibrant, and he has a reputation for a collaborative style that brings people together rather than dividing them. A San Jose native, he is the former executive director of the nonprofit Children's Musical Theater of San Jose, an organization he is credited with growing into one of the most successful children's theater groups in the country. Mulcahy says his approach was to hire an artistic director and let him do his job while Mulcahy concentrated on the big picture. This is exactly what the mayor needs to do in his relationship with the city manager.

Mulcahy may lack direct government experience, but he has taken leadership roles in organizations that suggest expertise in attracting and retaining businesses that will boost the local economy by providing good-paying jobs. He has been co-chairman of the Greater Downtown Development Strategy Task Force, board member of the San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau, Team San Jose, the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association and the American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley.

While other candidates spar over who knew what when and who is in favor of the most comprehensive sunshine laws, Mulcahy has run an innovative campaign of ideas--ideas complete with white papers on subjects ranging from boosting the local economy by turning San Jose into the clean technology capital of the world to the value of transit-oriented development--complete with lists of recommended reading.

In a word, Michael Mulcahy is "refreshing." And he has charisma in spades. With the dark cloud hanging over city hall, charisma is a quality not to be taken lightly.

Sadly, the mayoral candidates now serving on the council are too steeped in the current city hall culture to inspire confidence that elevating any one of them to mayor would dramatically change that culture. The weak--but conveniently timed--accusations by council members Nancy Pyle and Nora Campos of ethics violations by candidate Dave Cortese are evidence enough of a council that can't seem to rise above petty politics.

We certainly credit Chuck Reed with standing up to the politicians on a number of occasions. And he was pushing for open government long before it became the cause of the hour. Still, the enemies he's made at city hall would make it difficult for him to serve as a visionary leader of the city.

We were impressed by former councilman David Pandori, who argued forcefully against development in Coyote Valley and sprawling growth in North San Jose and who said as mayor, he would establish a "futures fund," setting aside 1 percent of the city's budget to create an endowment fund for the dreams of the city's next generation.

He impressed us with his knowledge of urban planning, but there was a wariness about him--coupled with a touch of arrogance--that suggested he knew what was best for the city, and he would fight to get his way. He has great ideas, but what San Jose needs right now is someone who really knows how to be a collaborative leader.

Mulcahy alone has the outsider's advantage, which in the case of this election, is truly a virtue. When he says politicians are part of the problem and he is part of the solution, it has a ring of truth.

San Jose needs a breath of fresh air, and that's why Silicon Valley Community Newspapers recommends voting June 6 for Michael Mulcahy for mayor of San Jose.