To be a city councilman is a privilege and honor that is granted only
to a select few individuals in our community. The opportunity to
serve the people of the district and city as a guiding light should give
one cause and desire to do this best job possible. Unfortunately,
some of the incumbents and career politicians in local office have
forgotten that their job is to champion for the best interests and
vitality of the community and instead believe it is about how much
time you serve in office. As a result, many officials ignore making
the tough and unpopular decisions that need to be addressed to
keep the city operations efficient. They make countless
compromises that negatively impact residents in order to stay in
office for longer terms. The long list of career politicians in local
office have continued to leave many issues unresolved for the next
elected official to deal with. The fact is that I have lived in San Jose
more than 40 years and in district 9 for the past 20.I am here to stay.
Therefore if I am elected as your representative I do not intend to
pass the buck to the next elected official. Case in point, in the Pinehurst neighborhood we have a large piece of unused land between Highway 87 and the sound wall along Heppner Lane. Now we as citizens have wanted to put that land to use, preferably to enhance the quality of life in district 9. To date no council decision has ever been made on what could be done. Even though the residents have given specific ideas regarding its use. My decisions and positions
may not always be popular with all, but they are the tough decisions
that are necessary for our city to maintain efficient operations that
serve the best interest of our community. I welcome your ideas and
input and ask that you challenged me every step of the way. I intend
to be the decisive and problem solving leader this community
needs to make the difficult and necessary choices that will pilot the city in the right directions. Our district
needs a leader that will no longer ignore the unresolved issues in our city and more importantly, the needs
of its residents. The next generation of leadership needs to be proactive and progressive in their goals and
solutions. Issues such as the city's budget problems such as schools and tax increases must be
addressed. For example, the city's pension plan that has been a red herring should have been dealt with
seven years ago. I have been involved with finance and accounting for more than 20 years and understand
the forecasting and back end costs that must be accounted for when it comes to handling a budget. In the
past, most of the elected officials have been school board members and held positions with police and
fire, but have no experience dealing with a budget. Just look at the school districts and what has been
done to keep them operating. Last year the Eastside school district did away with athletics based on the
recommendation of the school board who did not challenge the superintendent's new budget. Fortunately,
parents and citizens came together to question the reason for the budget cuts and were able to reach a
compromise. I intend to work with the schools on budget control issues that ensure the kids get the
education needed to be successful in the future. Yes, it seems whenever there is a financial crunch
education takes the hit and officials just ask for more funds to meet the needs. We need to change this
pattern of thinking and ask all who serve and work for the city to make the needed sacrifices so that we
lessen the burden of the taxpayers and protect our future--; the children of the city. As the police use as
their tag line, To Protect and Serve, this is what needs to be done by all and I intend to do my best to serve
the best interests of District 9.
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