Throughout its history, San Jose has maintained a distinguished and courageous business community. In times of crises, our business men and women have risen to the task when elected leaders were too craven or too corrupt to do the right thing.
One can only feel nauseous and disgusted learning that when a member of one of our most prominent business families is solicited for a bribe, what action is taken? He calls Ticketmaster instead of the DA!
It is very saddening to know that there was and is no great outrage at the lobbyists who have established a veritable Maginot Line of dollars and sycophancy around the mayor and certain council members.
The only bright spot has been the active and principled leadership of Jim Cunneen at the Chamber.
The Downtown Rotary Club, once a bastion of sound direction for our City, selects speakers on only the quixotic and the bland. Not a word on the scandals enveloping our community is uttered.
And what about organized labor, which has been the major player in this ongoing conspiracy of inaction? This is the group, the South Bay AFL-CIO Council, that sent Terry Gregory to City Hall, like a carnivorous, money-hungry virus into a receptive host. Gregory is a symptom and a tragedy; others bear guilt.
Labor’s leadership once maintained that Gregory should be innocent until proven guilty, but soon changed it to “wait until an indictment.” Last Friday, after Chamber honcho Cunneen called for Gregory to resign, Labor turned on its protégé and called for his resignation – the Dead Man Walking syndrome.
What political cowardice! Astounding moral blindness! Next they’ll condemn Senator Joe McCarthy or ask for an investigation into Watergate.
Score one for Cunneen and the old tradition of reform and let Big Labor and many in business realize that all the power they have accumulated comes with responsibility. They need a lesson in San Jose history.
Coming Wednesday: The real question is not whether the City Manager will survive - he will - the question is should he? My next column will discuss the tradition of the San Jose City Manager.
Great post…
Keep up the good work.
“Labor’s leadership once maintained that Gregory should be innocent until proven guilty, but soon changed it to “wait until an indictment.” Last Friday, after Chamber honcho Cunneen called for Gregory to resign, Labor turned on its protégé and called for his resignation – the Dead Man Walking syndrome.”
BINGO, TOM.
I have continued to appreciate this reading your material. It is fun to watch the good ol boys grabbing for power. somehow, I thought it might be better than the chamber’s paid lobbyist hosting them as guest bloggers. Realizing that the folks that host the site probably wrote the chamber’s piece makes is that much more enjoyable. Please continue, it reminds us that the good ol boys have reached an all time low.
Tom,
In our day, you and the rest of us would be “riddin” out of town on a rail. What has happened to the “Do Right” concept that we were raised with.
It is amazing to me that things have deteriorated so much in so short a time. Where are the legends now that we need them.
Telma,
Although Catapult Strategies works for the Chamber on public policy, we do not lobby for them, or anyone else.
We would welcome a guest blog article from someone defending Terry Gregory if someone would like to write one.
Also, being only 30, I hardly think I qualify as a “good old boy.”
Kevin
Tom,
When you say,. . . “The real question is not whether the City Manager will survive – he will – the question is should he?” . . I hope you’re referring to the person and not the form of government. San Jose deserves effective, professional city managers like Jerry Newfarmer and Les White. Unfortunately, the last two city managers have not been of their ilk.
Hey, Tom: Good commentary, even though perhaps a bit too characteristically bitter. And, in one sense, quite inaccurate. The Rotary Club? Quite inaccurate to say that we seek only bland or quixotic speakers. I assume that that means we avoid subjects that would seem to criticize our city government? You should have been around for my program on San Jose and its signage. We really seek programs that are controversial. …Join the club … participate in the program committee … you’ll enjoy the controversy … and (just a guess!) you’ll contribute to it.
Over the past 20 years in San Jose, there has been a significant shift in the way our elected officials are getting themselves elected. It is more about getting elected than making a difference once elected. It is more about exposing the bad side of your opponent with exaggerated half-truths than running on your own goals and ideas. It’s more about being the better of the two evils rather than being the best candidate.
I don’t believe things will change until we get back to the “grass roots” in campaigning. We need elected officials that owe more to the people that elected them rather than the people that got them elected.
For Bob Kieve
I don’t think I should join the Rotary, since as Grocho said, “…any club that would have me, etc. etc.”. To your point, I believe that there is no issue more pressing or important than the continued faith and trust that our citizens have in the Mayor and Council. Our people will accept mistakes, but not a lack of ethics or government by special interests alone. You and other leaders have been silent on this central issue – I do not know what to attribute it to for timidity is not one of your traits. Others could use a backbone transplant.
With due respect, to discuss the “sign issue” in the middle of this crises of confidence at City Hall, is to schedule a manicure when facing a terminal illness. Most of our business leadership has been AWOL for too many years – get back in the fight, Bob, you can make a difference.
TMcE
Tom
I want to begin my response to your new and wonderful web site, by thanking you for the work you did as mayor earning you the handle ” Garden Mayor”. Joe Hernandez and I were very close during the formulation of the Mexican Heritage Gardens.
Somewhere between there and now we lost the ability to grow as a community. Children a stone throw form the Mexican Heritage Gardens are suffering the ills of toxic lead poisoning. Yet for the past 30 years no one has seen to this horific correctable problem save for Mike Honda.
Perhaps more important for the city hall types to embrace is Empathy and simply live and observe what the old signs that exist on Ethics ask, hanging in the halls of our City Hall
I am saddened by the events of our times. The answers are directly in our path. What is wrong with the expression of Truth!!!!!
The Fallon sculpture is a wonderful “bronze”. It however spawned the half million dollar “Plastic Snake” in Ceasar Chavez Park.
We all know the answers, we simply need to express our feeling. Thank you for your web site!! I look forward to seening old stories with new faces. We all have a million stories. As our Garden Mayor you are once again planting seeds that will nurture our sprit for years to come.
Gil Hernandez
http://www.bronzemanufacturer.com
Tom, although Rotary has probably not hit the city hall issue, it really hasn’t shied away from controversy, as a quick review of our speakers this year would demonstrate. But I have to admit that your comment on my signs issue is priceless. It deserves repetition: to discuss the sign issue in the midddle of this crisis of confidence in city hall is to schedule a manicure when facing a terminal illness. I may use that in some other context.
Tom,
Why do we praise Business at the expense of Labor when everyone seems to be on the same page?
Your condemnation of support for Gregory by Labor would be more credible, if the alternative to Gregory had been more ethical himself. Would Ed Voss and his minions have provided more ethical leadership? I think not.
It was easy for the Chamber to call for the resignation of Gregory, they oppose him. It was difficult for labor, they supported him. Which entity has shown more priniciple in this matter?
As for Labor waiting for the investigations to finish; it is better to wait for all the facts before a rush to judgement, especially in a highly charged political environment. An investigation of this incident could have found that this was simply a set-up of a local official. It did not turn out that way, but who knew before a full investigation was completed. Labor was right to wait, just as they were correct in calling for Gregory’s dismissal.
It is my belief, when it comes to business and labor, what unites us is more than what divides us. Certainly there are disagreements, we will most likely see them in the upcoming Mayoral Campaign, but the personal animous of each side is becoming more apparent. We will all benefit from a public airing of the issues involved, rather than trying to define one side or the other as evil or more evil than the other.
Finally, this is a win for those who have been pushing for accountability. We should all try to follow the Bill Walsh model, humble in victory—civil in defeat. Labor has acted in a very honorable and civil manner, they should be applauded, not excoriated.
Rich: Neither Big Labor or Big Business have covered themselves with glory on this Gregory issue – I have criticism for both which Bob Kieve takes issue with above. I come from the position that when people are undermining the basic confidence & trust in our local government they should be chastized whether we supported them or not, business or labor, Democrat or Republican. Many might find such action the right way to go to improve our City – but it will not make many friends in high places. Silence and timidity are the rule nowadays. Gregory’s case did not take a major investigation – again, he was a symptom and a tragedy, but a transparent one. There is much blame to go around; labor & our business community share much of it: it seems now in their nature. TMcE
I couldn’t agree with you more Mr. McEnery.
As an independent I don’t see anyone standing up for what is right, instead it seems everyone takes the easy road.
I look forward to the day when those who are the power brokers in our city take a back seat to the interests of the voters and residents.
Seems to me labor hasn’t done much good since somewhere in the 40’s. The only thing they do now, is stop drug testing, fleece members for money so they can legally bribe office holders. Labor pulls the strings and the politicians dance to the tune of breaking the cities and states with hugh burdeons for retirement and pensions. The Gov is trying to change it on state level now let the business and chamber go after the council to change it on local level so it doesn’t break us. Labor is way to powerful with it’s cash and worker bees for campaigns.
Tom,
I couldn’t agree more, but while the process may have moved too slow for us, Labor and Business eventually came around.
We should encourage such behavior. The timidity in politics is caused by a belief that such noble actions are a sign of weakness. If honorable action is taken, even belatedly, we should praise those efforts and encourage institutions and individuals to move faster in the future.
Courage and boldness are learned traits, they are far from instinctive, as you have pointed out on numerous occassions.
Given the tenor of the debate, the stakes involved, the make up of the council, the pressure from the Mercury News and the human disappointment that comes when a friend fails you—it is all the more reason to acknowledge the actions of Labor, even if you think they should have acted more quickly.
The whole Gregory incident, while unseemly, is likely to generate more debate on the quality and character of our elected officials.
That’s not a bad start.