Milestones 10-15-2008

(by Miles Barber - October 16, 2008)

Milestones
By Miles H Barber
    We were expecting some fireworks and only got a fizzler.
    Last Thursday’s Candidate’s Forum sponsored by the Santa Clara Chamber, The Citizens Advisory Committee and the WEEKLY was anything but contentious.
    Controversy is not always necessary to have a good debate, and some disagreement on policy issues would have been refreshing.
    Candidates Rod Diridon, Jr., City Clerk, and Steve Lodge, Chief of Police, are running unopposed and gave their opening two minute statements.
    Opponents Brian Lowery, a computer company CEO, and Jamie Matthews, a city planner and former Councilman, had previously agreed between themselves to take the middle road. There would be no acrimony here.
    Karen Hardy made her point of being the only write-in candidate in her expression of opposition to incumbent Kevin Moore, who is running for a second term.
    The closest they came to dissention was Hardy’s statement of her dislike for a new stadium. Moore has been an advocate of the stadium and indicates he wants to see progress and growth North of Bayshore, which includes building the new library.
    Dave Tobkin, Chairman of the Chamber Government Affairs Committee, handled the questions with clarity and aplomb. Too bad he wasn’t able to grill the candidates with follow up questions.
    Incumbent Jamie McLeod is being challenged by local real estate agent Chuck Blair and businessman Ciaran O’Donnell. This match up had all the excitement of watering your lawn in winter. McLeod is bright, careful, and articulate but her opponents didn’t pick on any popular or unpopular issues to distinguish themselves as solid front runners.
    Will Kennedy, a local attorney, was his normal quiet self and answered the questions in his normal thoughtful manner.
    His opponent is Mary Emerson who has been an outspoken antagonist about a new stadium in Santa Clara. However, if you hadn’t been to some prior Council meetings to realize this, you would have thought she might be the new stadium crusader.
    Kennedy could have questioned Emerson’s many appearances before Council objecting to the money that would be spent on the stadium. But, he didn’t.
    Emerson must have figured out it is State redevelopment money that would be used for a stadium that softened her position.
    Mario Bouza, local businessman, is another anti-stadium campaigner and also running against Kennedy. Again, there was not much that either of these candidates had to offer that would rock the room, send the stock market soaring or keep you from falling asleep.
    What was noticeable were the many “me too’s” that echoed throughout the Council Chamber hall. If you aren’t that much different than the incumbents, why are you running for office?
    The common theme was dressed pretty much in the political fashion coat and pants of most elections with things like transportation, housing, jobs, controlled intelligent growth and the love of apple pie.
    So, no fireworks at this event!
    We will have to wait till the new Council is seated to see if issues heat up.
Miles H.  Barber can be reached at Scweekly2004@yahoo.com