For the first time in many years, I attended a Democratic State Convention last Sunday. The fact that it was being held at our own Convention Center made it easy, but the real hook was the fact that an Irish parliamentarian friend of mine wanted to hear Bill Clinton’s speech and say hello to him. We did both as we listened to the 45-minute speech (pretty good) and then spoke to the former president for a few minutes.
My friend got a big hello and I received a cordial one. Thankfully, my choice of Obama did not come up, but Clinton’s 1992 visit to San Jose for a critical CEO endorsement of his fledgling candidacy, and his many efforts to secure peace in Ireland did. It was a nice, but brief, reunion. As we walked away, I marveled at one comment that the former president made—namely, the frequency of his visits to San Jose.
Here in a capsule is the story of how far we have come as a city to our current status where every president and potentate makes a visit here. The media howled when my predecessor, Janet Grey Hayes, invited Queen Elizabeth to our city in the late seventies to tour, among other things, the water pollution control plant. My brush with nobility was a lunch for the Grand Duke of Luxemburg, a small country in Europe about the size of Monte Sereno and not exactly an A-list member of the royals club. Other than that, no rulers and only an odd presidential candidate would show up in our fair city, perhaps due to the fact that when I first became mayor, the major downtown hotel for guests and events was the Holiday Inn and the major restaurants were definitely low on glitz. Our sole museum was the Museum of Art and our only entrance to the city from the north was down a very slow-moving First Street.
That was then; this is now.
All paths and many roads now lead to downtown San Jose. No presidential candidate, president, head of state, rock star or impresario—Bush, Clinton, Bono, Prince Andrew, Caroline Kennedy, and all the others—misses our city. The Fairmont, HP Pavilion, the TECH, our Convention Center, and the mere fact that we in this valley are the center of innovation and entrepreneurship on the globe, makes San Jose a must-stop.
And, oh yes, we do have a state-of-the-art sewer plant, if anyone ever wants to see it. Who would have “thunk” it?
Who amoung us would ever have thought it possible. If you had been in downtown San Jose in the 60’s through early 80’s until Tom McEnery became Mayor, with his vision of remaking a city, was this possible. It is now a nice place to visit and hang out with great hotels, restaurants and the arena. Thanks, Tom for making this happen.
Tom,
I’m sure the nay-sayers will challenge you for the blasphemy of saying good things about San Jose, but you are right. Our city has come a long way.
I’m sure they all visit to see residential streets being repaired in Blossom Valley.
Yeh Tom, But when Bill and Al came down a few years ago they had dinner at the Cal Cafe in Old Town, Los Gatos, creating a mob scene the likes of which have never been seen since. The Fairmont was up and running then. Bill might come, and Bono maybe, but not the residents of all our “strong neighborhoods”, and the SFers come on down for Sanatan Row, not Santa Clara St, despite the “glitz”. Let’s keep it up til we get to “critical mass” instead of laying back on the ars, smelling the roses—or enjoying Zanker road facilties. George Green
George – you are right, keep it going – there is much to do. .And I was at that Los Gatos dinner at the CAl Cafe in LG and it was boring. Only AL Gore livened it up by explaining “gigbytes” to the uninitiated. In Downtown, it would surely have been thrilling.
TMcE
Hey Tom:
Today’s Chronicle (Matier and Ross column) reports that Bill Clinton had a meltdown just prior to his speech. Apparently, one of the super-delegates asked him about Clarvelle’s Judas comment re Richardson.
You’re right about San Jose. Let’s lobby (both parties) to select San Jose as their convention site in 2012!
Pete Campbell
“SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!”
The likes of Bill Clinton come to San Jose for cash. Thats it. CA is a safe Dem state so no reason to go except to fundraise…and to scam for chicks.
How about hostin a Presdential debate in San Jose too!
Tom McEnery did a magnificent job turning around downtown San Jose. A CEO of a company can just order employees to embrace a new direction. The mayor of San Jose does not have that luxury. The mayor must have a vision and then work very hard to make other people embrace that vision. The Fairmont Hotel, Convention Center and HP Pavilion were huge risks, but they worked. Downtown San Jose is a place to be proud of, thirty-five years ago it was an embarrassment.
Each mayor since Tom McEnery can add their contribution to downtown, Rep Theatre, California Theatre rehabilitation, Marriott Hotel, restaurants, etc., but it was Tom McEnery that created the momentum.
Jeffrey – any way you look at it, important people now travel here for business, politics, and, gasp, culture and entertainment – it has been a sea change. TMcE