Well, the glass seems half empty—way empty. Lew Wolff will not bring the A’s to downtown (hey, Rick, gambling here in Casablanca!).  The Rep is in perilous condition and other groups are crying “help” and lining up to get a bit of succor.  The city leadership is looking like the interim government in Baghdad.  Our grand prix took a beating on the P.R. front not seen since Nixon’s final days.  Phew—what a few months! Look for a plague of locusts on the horizon.

It is said that in war, truth is the first casualty. I have often felt that it is the same in political campaigns—where the stakes are lower and the attention slimmer.  We will see how much this axiom holds true in the currently forming battle for mayor of San Jose.  The result will determine a lot: most everything about our evolution as a city and region, our national reputation, our ethics, and the wellbeing of future generations yet unborn.  Now, that is raising the stakes a trifle.

You know that the situation is a bad one when your choice is to give a contract to an indicted and decidedly unscrupulous garbage company, who has a reputation that smells to high heaven, or take the chance of garbage piling up in the driveways of San Jose’s residents. There is no good alternative.

How did we get here? There has to be some answers.

When it comes to advice, almost always listen to your mom. Sometimes you might not believe her, but give it a bit of time. For instance: “When you see a crowd, go the other way.” Just think how many problems you would avoid with that simple act.  “A stitch in time saves nine”—now that’s actually an old wives’ tale, but mom said it too. Get on things early, fix them, and save a lot of pain. There is no shortage to the things your dear mom could save you from if only you would listen

It is time to look at the pros and cons of our summer. Just what exactly are the pluses and minuses that can be attributed to our city as we approach the middle of August? A big plus is the Zero One Festival that is occurring this week.  On the harmony front, once again Music in the Park is drawing big crowds, but the enthusiastic revelers and music lovers are much less a source of business to the downtown bar and restaurant owners than the Downtown Association would like you to believe. Some think that they are barely registering on the Richter scale of monetary activity among the vast majority of the businesses downtown.  And the opinion of the police is that the crowds are too massive and it is not a particularly engaging use of Chavez Plaza.

Just when I thought it was safe to get out of the political water, I get pulled back in in a surprising way.  The latest turn on the Chamber of Commerce’s political mailers in the mayoral primary shows that monies far beyond the local limits were raised and spent.  The mailers attacked the business-as-usual cronyism at City Hall and the role of the city council, led by Cindy Chavez in the absence of a mayor, in various alleged nefarious and outrageous decisions. The topics were fine but not the implementation. 

It’s summer now. It is also very, very hot. There have been no severe blackouts yet, but it is hard to tell if that situation will last.  In the world of politics, there seems to be a calm that has descended on our city. This quiet is a much-appreciated relief from the tumult and shouting and headlines of the last few months. Many like to pick up the paper and read—nothing.

In an environment bereft of courageous and selfless acts, the recent decision by our fire chief stands out in fascinating relief.  When Jeff Clet stepped down from his position so that he would not run afoul of the nepotism rules of San Jose, he clearly committed a principled and noteworthy act. He certainly deserves our praise.  The traditions of the San Jose Fire Department are hallowed and have served the city well; they have given many sons, and I hope more daughters, the ability to follow their fathers into a noble and invaluable profession. We need more of this type of service.

With the advent of the summer festival season of events in San Jose—the Grand Prix, Jazz Festival and Zero One Festival—we are indeed approaching a time of fun, enjoyment, and wonderment. Yet, it was not long ago when a visit to our city would be considered out of the question for many in the valley and Bay Area. Not any more.

(Editor’s Note: We are reprinting Tom McEnery’s piece that appeared in the Mercury News this past Sunday, July 2, in order to give our readers a chance to comment on it.)

The decision is in, conclusively. This mayor’s tenure has been a total failure and a badly flawed one. The human tragedy is sad; the public one, palpably painful. Remember the words of another official about another very public tragedy, a national one: “There is a cancer on the presidency.” This has been true of the mayor’s office for some time now. It has left an indelible stain on City Hall.

The action is now largely finished and the captains, the kings and one mayor are ready to depart. It is time to look ahead. What lessons can we learn from the tragedy of Ron Gonzales and this painful era?  Some have suggested that it was preordained—we all carry the seeds of our own mistakes and tragedies within us—but the public portions of this episode did not have to be this way.

As I wrote last week, in an enjoyable foray into Civil War analogies (politics is a bit like war, you know), Chuck Reed has the high ground, forging a campaign of principles and clarity and fiscal responsibility. Yet, the ground can shift treacherously, increasing uncertainty from a primary to a general election. The bones of many contenders and future winners lie bleaching in the suns of an expanded electorate’s changing views between June and November.

A little-known Union hero of the Battle of Gettysburg was Brig. Gen. John Buford. On the first day of that epic struggle to determine the fate of the United States, he had the judgment to seize the high ground outside of the town and, with it, the victory was all but assured—only the deadly bloodletting was to follow for three horrible, tragic days. Well, it’s only June, but never too soon to begin the speculation on who will have the high ground in the election for mayor next November. In this campaign, the key issues will be ethics, growth and vision. Chavez is attempting to make it a schools and neighborhoods choice, but she has a daunting task.

Well, the votes are all in and the winners and loser are clear.  To the extent that people did not participate, they and we lost; to those who did, and read San Jose Inside, thanks for what you do and the diligence you apply to it.  Adlai Stevenson once said that, after a loss, it was like stubbing your toe—it hurts too much to laugh and you’re too old to cry. We should all cry for the depths that our city has fallen; we should decry the timid and dishonest campaigning for the top spot in the city.  Current council members should have the sense to understand repudiation and be ashamed for their active or tacit part in the past disgraceful performance of this council.

Well, the time we have all been waiting for has arrived—a wait of nearly eight years on some of our calendars.  The long, dark reign of Ron Gonzales is over. It has been a dismal period for our community. Yet, the pivotal questions are: will the damage and offense against San Jose’s reputation of good government and good planning persist? Or, is the nightmare over?

There is never a shortage of cynicism and hypocrisy during election season.  Yet, this year there seems to be an abundance of disquieting events not seen for some time.  While the disgraceful nadir of ethics at City Hall is setting the bar quite low, in this election we may be taking the bar to the ground—there will hardly be room for a slug to go beneath it.