Willow Glen Resident

News

Candidates vying for a seat in District 6 know neighborhoods

By Alicia Upano

When San Jose City Councilman Ken Yeager was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, it created a hole in District 6. Now six candidates are vying for his seat in the November election.

San Jose District 6 includes the Willow Glen and Rose Garden neighborhoods. The candidates are Jim Spence, Steve Tedesco, Clark Williams, Brad Imamura, Art Maurice and Pierluigi Oliverio.

The two individuals with the most votes will advance to a March 6 runoff, unless one candidate receives more than 50 percent in November. The new councilman will serve the remaining two years of Yeager's term and be eligible to run for two four-year terms.

Jim Spence

Jim Spence is not a quitter.

Six years ago, Spence lost the San Jose District 6 primary election. For Spence, it only meant more time to prepare for his next bid.

The opportunity came earlier than expected for the retired San Jose police sergeant when San Jose City Councilman Ken Yeager was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in June, creating a vacancy halfway through a four-year term.

Spence, a second-generation Willow Glen resident, served 30 years with the San Jose Police Department before retiring in 2001.

Then he decided the key to becoming a good public servant was to learn every aspect of city living. Spence embarked on his education as an aide for District 9 Councilman John Diquisto. He joined the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association board and learned about nonprofit management by becoming director of Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers. Finally, Spence got hands-on learning in small business ownership by starting a private investigation firm, Corporate Security Concepts.

"The residents have given me a great education," Spence said. "I'm trying to return on that investment."

Spence has educated himself on District 6 issues. He speaks about the importance of better road maintenance, decreasing airport noise and ensuring a ballpark is approved by the public. He believes the city needs to reach out to annexation areas in District 6 to make sure they receive fair services. He supports the high-density KB Home and Sobrato Development housing projects in the industrial area between the Rose Garden and Willow Glen, though further mitigation needs to be done, he said.

Spence is a proponent of affordable housing and fiscal responsibility.

"If you manage your checkbook the way the city manages its finances, you probably wouldn't be clothed or housed," he said.

Spence agrees with the other five candidates that ethics and open government is important, since the eruption of the Norcal garbage scandal involving Mayor Ron Gonzales.

However, Spence said it was a travesty that the city resorted to creating a Sunshine Reform Task Force to implement reforms.

"Why do we have to create a commission to do the right thing?" Spence said. "I'll tell you the truth every time."

Spence points to his long career as proof he can get the job done. As an officer, he won the police department's Life Saving award, worked on the Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force, began Scholastic Crime Stoppers in area high schools and supervised the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design unit, which provided input on the Midtown and Santana Row projects.

He has experience starting community programs, such as Neighborhood Action, which was frozen earlier this year due to the police department's tight budget. This program could have helped neighbors deal with noise issues at Alano Club West and the American Legion hall in Willow Glen.

The program is a partnership between the police and the city's code enforcement division that assigns a point person to every blighted property. The city representative helps neighbors collect a body of evidence, mediate and take property owners to small claims court.

From a neighborhood perspective, Spence believes in involving the community early in the development process to create projects that work for both the developer and the neighborhood. He also wants to follow in Yeager's footsteps by helping business districts obtain grants for needed services.

Clark Williams

Clark Williams may not be a Willow Glen native, but his District 6 roots are in the community.

The Wisconsin native moved to North Willow Glen in 2001 and became a senior manager with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. He quit his job in 2003 when he and his partner, Jim Moore, adopted a newborn. Their daughter, Caroline, expanded Williams' public service beyond social work.

The new parent became involved in the North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association. He is now the association's vice president. He serves on the Resources for Families and Communities executive board and the Citizen Watchdog Committee for Santa Clara County's Measure B Transportation Improvement Project. He was the interim director of the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center earlier this year and was a part-time nonprofit consultant and stay-at-home father.

Nonprofit Building Peaceful Families recognized Williams as a "Top Community Dad" in June.

"What's fueling my commitment to public service is being a parent of a small child," Williams said. "They ought to give every elected council person a stroller and walk our district."

During these walks with Caroline, Williams became acutely aware of the maintenance needed on city parks, trails and streets. His priority, he said, is to provide solid neighborhood services to residents, including public safety and proper code enforcement.

It's this parental and neighborhood advocate perspective that's needed on the council, Williams said.

Like mayoral candidate Chuck Reed, Williams credits his Midwestern background with instilling in him certain core values, including honesty and openness, and leading by example. However, in the District 6 race, candidates are being measured against Yeager and what he has accomplished during his years as a city councilman. In late September, Yeager endorsed Williams, saying Williams has the best grasp of district issues and would protect the Willow Glen and Rose Garden neighborhoods against "poorly planned infill developments."

"I hold his leadership in such high regard; these are such tough shoes to fill," Williams said.

Williams said he would like to continue Yeager's responsiveness and is committed to hiring a good staff.

At the same time, Williams said his candidacy is not a carbon copy. Rather, he plans to tap the expertise of the neighborhoods.

Williams points to how the neighborhood leaders collaborated during the proposal to build a ballpark in San Jose. They worked together and agreed no one community would take the upper hand or advantage of another neighborhood.

"As neighborhood leaders, we all talk to each other. What I expect to do is continue that effort," Williams said. "The best ideas come from the residents."

Like the ballpark, Williams said council members need to decide on developments based on whether they fit into their surrounding community.

He also hopes to bring innovation and problem solving to city council.

"I'm a guy that solves problems," Williams said. "I'm working with competing constituencies all the time."

Steve Tedesco

In Steve Tedesco's world, there are no "mini mayors."

"One of the things I want to change is the 'mini mayor syndrome,'" said Tedesco, the executive director of Boys & Girls Club of Silicon Valley.

Tedesco said city council members can become the "mini mayors" of their home districts, becoming so engaged in local traffic issues and controversial developments that they spend less time on citywide issues.

If elected, Tedesco said he would still want to maintain Yeager's best practices--hiring a helpful staff, being responsive and giving needed attention to the district-- but he'd like to expand his focus. He believes District 6 is ready for such a leader.

"I think District 6 understands the whole city needs to be financially better," Tedesco said.

When San Jose thrives, District 6 residents will benefit, he said, whether it's through more fire and police services, open public pools or park maintenance.

Tedesco admits he can sometimes be "too blunt" or "too quick" but adds, "People always know where I stand, and where they stand with me."

Tedesco also attributes his candor to 30 years of experience working with the city, and a track record that goes along with it.

Before the Boys & Girls Club, Tedesco was president and CEO of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce for 12 years. He serves on the city's airport commission and is a past commissioner on the Santa Clara County Human Relations Commission. He is co-founder of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, Christmas in the Park and the Silicon Valley Charity Ball Foundation.

A Del Mar High School alum, he also served 10 years on the Campbell Union High School District Board, where he won a seat at age 22.

Tedesco, 52, is a Willow Glen resident and San Jose native, whose passion for his hometown sparked his desire to run.

"Some of the things the city has done have been embarrassing. Let's bring back integrity to the city council decision-making process and for San Jose," Tedesco said. "I think I can do a better job than what's been done in the past."

Issues vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, Tedesco said, but traffic is consistently the root of the problem when residents talk about their quality of life. He points to the traffic at Westfield Valley Fair Shopping Town and Santana Row as an example of bad planning. These traffic considerations should be dealt with during the planning stages, he said, and more housing should be built along the transit corridor to decrease commuter traffic.

Tedesco also wants the city to focus more on small business owners. He said it's almost impossible for small businesses to succeed in San Jose and that the city needs to find a way to help business owners get through the planning process.

While Tedesco agrees that ethics, growth and the economy are important issues, he said, "A lot of the things I have experience in are common sense."

For more information, visit www.stevetedesco.com, www.electclarkwilliams.com and www.jimspenceforcouncil.com.

This is the second of two parts that profiles six candidates running for the San Jose District 6 seat in the November election.