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?
The answers depend on who is the successor. The wise guys and City Hall hangers-on have been certain that one of the candidates from the council will be the ultimate winner, and Chavez, Reed and Cortese, captured the early publicity. The latter two have been active critics of the status quo and ready to offer ethical change; Chavez has been late to reform, but certainly has now made her lead in the censure of Gonzales, and her tardy push with council allies to set the agenda, the central focus of her campaign. Many think that it is too little and too late. I am one of those.
Of the remaining aspirants, Michael Mulcahy has impressed voters with his personality and charm, but is clearly not ready for prime time yet. He must develop a philosophy for the city beyond the Gavin Newsome warm-overs of his consultants. He might be able to achieve it if he really works.
Finally, we have David Pandori. As the Mercury News has observed in its editorial favoring him, he is the only candidate with a clear vision and understanding of what to do as mayor. This is the key. The new mayor must know what to do, not wait to be told.
San Jose needs a radical change. This new mayor must drive the money changers from the temple and set a clear and unambiguous agenda to move our city ahead. The course must be charted with a firm and fair hand. Time is not on our side; the clock is ticking. Come next Tuesday, the most critical election in the modern history of the city will occur. I trust we will all be counted
I hope your wrong man. I dread the thought of one of these council members becoming mayor. They needed to do more to expose the problems at city hall but each in their own ways skated the issues. I will take my chances with a newcomer. We have seen what we can expect from thae council members and it certainly not enough to lead this city. Although I prefer the leadership abilities and discount experience on the basis that knowledge can be more easier attained than a vibrant personality, Pandori would be a better choice than the insiders.But it appears to me that the Pandori way is a one man show and that he will alienate. This is why I think Mulcahy is the one to lead this city. He will bring people together, identify the pressing issues and not have the ego to turn down a better idea. If the knock on Mulcahy is experience then I can live with it. Look at what experience has created over the past years. I hardly believe it is the main priority when choosing an effective mayor.
So, #1, you are now the Oracle? All truth flows from you? A vote for Pandori is a vote for a return to good government. Nobody gains much with a defeatist attitude like yours.
In a city that has been lacking in principle for years, a vote for Pandori is a vote for principle, for good planning, for ethical and open government, and for something else that has been absent for years at City Hall—common sense.
Vote for someone else and you get what you deserve.
#3 – Your continual drumbeat for Mulcahy is admirable if not misguided. The mayor’s job is not an internship or a learning experience. It’s getting your hands dirty working on the nuts and bolts of keeping a city running. Mulcahy has shown nothing in his background that makes him qualified to take on this mammoth task.
Your comments about Pandori just do not reflect reality. David has a grassroots campaign of hundreds of volunteers who simply want to see San Jose return to ethical leadership and open government. In addition, they want to see the problems of the city fixed. Mulcahy has not shown he has a grasp of the issues or the solutions to fix the problems.
David is hardly a one man show. He will tell you where he stands on an issue and move to accomplish what he says he will do, but he knows city government better than most, and he knows that a mayor who tries to jam his programs through the council without consensus would be, well, would be Ron Gonzales. David is the opposite of Gonzales, he actually has the betterment of the entire city in mind, and he will do things for the right reason, not to punish enemies or as some political payback.
Let us hope you are wrong.
Jerry, I share your concern about Pandori and the potential to alienate. With him as Mayor it could turn out to be a variation on Gonzo’s arrogance. But I’d like to think he can work with the rest of the Council and push forward to bring back some integrity to City Hall (with Cindy as Mayor that is a lost cause) and also carve a sensible path forward to make San Jose a better place and get this town into a position where it’s respected, not ridiculed.
I’m not so down on Mulcahy’s lack of experience. That’s not a bad “attribute” in this pack of candidates. But Pandori can hit the ground running. Mulcahy could spend most of his four year term learning the ropes and have the rest of the Council running rough-shod all over him. So for effective leadership I’m voting for Pandori.
Roberto, a Cortese vs Reed runoff wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but as long as I have an option to vote for someone who hasn’t been involved in all of the bad decisions and rubber-stamping of Gonzo’s agenda, you can bet I’m going to vote for an outsider in this primary.
#1
If you want more of Gonzo vote for Cavez.
If you want 2 guys who could not stand up to Gonzo until they decided to run for mayor then vote for Reed or Cortese. Chavez will eat them for lunch the way she has the past 6 years.
If you want a mayor who wants to grow up to be just like David Pandori vote for Mucahy.
If you want a strong mayor that can beat the Chavez-Gonzo machine vote for Pandori. He is the only one that has any plan for our future. Did you read read his book? It is a well thought out plan. Did you see him dominate the debates? It was clear the otherts have no plan only lip service.
Hi guys and gals – my quest for today is to track down pandori and ask him the two questions:
1) How does he plan to get his ideas implemented if he is elected and if not elected?
2) What is he doing to increase his chances of getting elected?
I just called, and he is out doing a radio interview. I left word to ask him to call me back. I’ll send updates as the day progresses.
When I got home last night, Pandori’s book was in my mailbox. I read it cover to cover. Everyone should. It sets out clearly defined goals; and though I disagree with some of his positions, he convinced me that he has a clear, positive, and attainable vision for San Jose. I am now glad my permanent absentee ballot has yet to arrive, since I probably would have voted for another candidate before I read Pandori’s book. If you have one , pass it on to a friend who does not.
We need a new vision for San Jose. We see guys like Reed, who apparently advised school board people to violate the law, and also violated the ethics code by meeting with developers in Milpias. Chuck, you are a coward and you do not have the guys to even respond to the fact that you broke the law when you met in Milpitas. You cannot even explain why you broke the FPPC’s laws.
NORCAL CHUCK IS HIS NAME AND DANCING A JIG TO VICTOR’S MUSIC IS HIS GAME.
AS FOR CINDY, we just get more of the same.
Pandori for a new voice, please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
OOOOOOOOOH
Tom makes me so angry!!! So very, very angry, I am may even have to take off my little roman helmet. That Pandori, why did he get to write about 101. oooooh that David Pandori makes me so very angry. David does not even have a Victor to tell him what do or what to say. Cindy makes me so very, very angry, she does not wear the same red white and blue dress or tunic like I do
oooohhhhh
Were I living in San Jose (yeah, right) and not Santa Cruz, here is who I want as best case scenario on June 6:
SJ Mayor: Pandori and Mulcahy in the runoff
Measure A defeated by any margin
Worst case scenario June 6:
SJ Mayor: Chavez and either Cortese or Reed in the runoff
Measure A passing by any margin
I remember at one of the first Mayor’s forums I went to near Campbell that Pandori mentioned he would work to reform the (dysfunctional) Valley Transportation Authority. As head of a VTA watchdog group, I can tell you from experience that reform at that agency is badly needed. The new SJ mayor would pick 5 of the 12 seats on the VTA Board with possibly himself and other city council members.
Tom will be on KGO on in 5 minutes talkin politics.
#8 David – If Pandori is not elected it is not imcumbent upon him to get his plans implemented. The responsibility then falls upon us, the citizens, to see that needed changes are implemented. If he is not elected the prospects are very slim to have any of his plans implemented given the other choices. If you like Pandori’s plans and want to see them accomplished vote for him
#12 I am glad you don’t live in San Jose and can’t vote. A runoff betweens Superman and Dorian Gray would be boring. In a runoff with no council candidates, Superman and Dorian Gray would have nothing to complain about. Superman would read the voters to sleep with his book and Dorian Gray would spend the whole summer reading his prepared statements.
I want an exciting runoff. For that we need real superheroes and villains like Xena, Captain America, and Two-Face.
My mindless blogging slaves. You have done what Chuck and I want, attack Cindy and Cindy’s family as much as possible. Good work. The Chuckster will disavow any knowledge of your actions as he has done in Milpitas for other efforts.
I control what he sees and hears. For the next week I will determine the horizontal of this blog. I will control the vertical.
BTW, Chuck cannot di more for you now. He is meeting developers now in Sunnycale. Our secret real estate headquarters have been discovered by hill people living near Independence High
The Victor Limits
#15, go read a comic book and leave the real voting to adults. Sounds like you have your head so far up your a** that you can’t see that Mayor Cortese or Mayor Chavez would destroy San Jose. This election is not a game, I have lived and owned a business in San Jose for four decades and this election is crucial for me and my family.
Vote with your head, vote for CHUCK!!
Tom – Good blog.
#1. RobertoC: You are forgetting that unless one of the candidates gets a majority vote next Tuesday, which isn’t going to happen, there will be a November runoff. If Cindy makes the runoff (a lot could happen between now and Tuesday) she would still have to face Chuck, Michael or one of the Daves in November.
#6 Mark T. While Pandori did have a rep for rubbing folks the wrong way when he served on the council, he’s a bit more seasoned these days. I’d like to think that he’s learned a few lessons in tact and consensus building along the way. He’s knows that he can’t implement his vision for SJ by making enemies.
I hope it will be Chuck & Dave P. in the runoff, although I will be happy with anyone but Cindy who will only bring more Gonzales-style government. Her embrace of political reforms come just a little too close to Election Day to be sincere.
I also hope that Mulcahy won’t walk away from local government if he doesn’t win and takes the suggestion to get on the Planning Commission, run for Council and build a foundation for a political future. Let’s also hope that come what may next Tuesday David Pandori will remain involved in local politics. He has a lot to offer San Jose.
Mal, I’m with you 100% on #18. Well, maybe not quite, as I can’t get excited about Chuck, but he’s going to get my vote if it ends up being between him and Cindy in November. Sure hoping for a surprise upset with either Pandori or Mulcahy knocking at least one of the current Council members out of the running.
Not sure which election #15 is referring to but I think it’s on another planet in a galaxy far far away.
I think Cindy will make the runoff. Who she runs against in the general is unknown (I say either dave or dave). Personally, I would like Chavez to run for County Supe and bring some energy to 70 West. It sure is not going to come from Linda or Ken. I think the Chamber has a winner in Sam but WTF are they thinking when it comes to winning the mayor’s race??? They have been visiting the hooka lounge a little to often.
Once again, please face the fact that Pandori has no chance to win. He entered the race too late, did not raise enough money and has not proven to be popular with voters. We need a non-council member as mayor, and Mulcahy is the only one that has a chance to win. A vote for Pandori is a vote for Chavez.
I don’t know what Mulcahy or the DiNapolis ever did to Tom McEnery, but this bashing of Mulcahy is an embarrassment. He is more than qualified to be mayor. Tom would have us believe you must be a god-like genius to perform the duties of mayor. Michael has business experience and public service experience in San Jose. That fact that he’s never been on city council is irrelevant to all but those who have been on city council. Riordan and Bloomberg were fine mayors in LA and NY, and they were “outsiders”. To say Michael is “not ready” is complete and utter B.S., and is an underhanded scare tactic. If you want positive change in San Jose, vote Mulcahy. If you want business as usual, vote Pandori (which is truly a vote for Chavez).
Hoss—So you have the pulse of the city. You determine Pandori can’t win and Mulcahy is the solution to our problems. Must be nice to live in your world.
In my world I want a candidate who has well thought-out ideas and can articulate them (without the need for cue cards.) I want someone who knows about landuse from a planning perspective, not a developer’s perspective. I want someone who understands city government from a legislative viewpoint and not from a lobbyist viewpoint. I could go on, but hopefully you see my point.
The fact is Mulcahy is minor league compared to someone like Pandori. After 7 years of the GonzalesChavez brigade we don’t have the luxury to train someone for a few years learning the job of mayor.
You want a novice, vote for Mulcahy. You want a solid professional with ideas and solutions, vote for Pandori.
Hoss,
You write that “He [Mulcahy] is more than qualified to be mayor”. Please hold on one second while I finish laughing. Since when did not being a politician make you qualified to become Mayor of the 10th largest city in the country? The SECOND you announce canidacy for any public office you instantly become a poltician. Also, voting for a non-politician for the Mayor’s race is like not going to a dentist when you have a toothache because he’s too seasoned in dentistry and instead going to a plumber.
Hoss – you’re still going to wake up with a toothache.
I think we need to see the latest polls before assuming that voting for Pandori is a losing proposition.
I also disagree that a vote for Pandori is really a vote for Chavez. This is a primary. It’s not between just Pandori and Chavez so a vote for Pandori is not a throw-away vote. Everybody needs every vote they can get. A vote for Pandori means one less vote for Cindy and that much less chance she’ll get 51% or even make the run-off. Every vote against Cindy matters, whether it’s for Pandori, Mulcahy or Lassie.
#21 Hoss, You are right on. Mulcahy is the man. He has plenty of experience. I dont think the council is any great training ground. That is B.S. He has all the attributes necessary to be mayor. He does not need a blue print to do this job. We need someone who will change the culture and involve more people in the decision process. He can get along with everybody and bring out the best in most. Charisma is King.
Does Pandori or Mulcahy have some hidden string puller like Chuck does?
I am voting for Pandori bwcause he has no secret life. Why does Chuck meet developers secretly in Milpitas away from City hall?
Is there a secret life to Chuck in Milpitas?
If the FPCC levied a fine against a school district based on Reed’s mismanagement and bad faith actions, then aren’t we headed for the same thing under the Reed Mayoralty?
I like living in Cambrian. It is far away from City Hall. With Reed there, it sounds like he will cause more scandals than Ron, only for other people.
Do we risk a decade of Ron and now, Ron-Lite ala Reed?
#23 Mr. Yucca,
Please remember that Michael Mulcahy was President of the Children’s Musical Theater. Are you saying that the country’s most successful, all-child, production of “Annie Get Your Gun” does not qualify Mulcahy to be mayor?
That little 4th grader that played Buffalo Bill was breathtaking.
25—You keep harping about Mulcahy and how the Council is no great training ground. Most of the comments knocking Mulcahy’s inexperience have nothing to do with whether or not he ever served on the Council. It has to do with that fact that he hasn’t served on any city boards or commissions to get a basic grounding in city government.
It makes no sense to select the least experienced person to have a go at running a large city. It is very different than running a nonprofit and very different than being a real estate developer/lobbyist.
When I look for professional services I don’t look in the yellow pages for the least experienced person. I talk to others, do my research, and then select someone based on several criteria, one of the most important being experience.
I will do no less when casting my vote for Mayor.
Although I am not supporting Chuck, does anybody have factual evidence regarding these “charges” against Chuck? So far it has been pretty vague. If you’ve got something then show it—if not, how about waiting until you’ve got something solid to go on?
Dear San Jose:
QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED BY NEXT TUESDAY: (answers provided below)
1) Which candidate will fill the most potholes and keep the city’s community centers open?
2) Which candidate is least likely to use the power of eminent domain against the people of San Jose?
3) Will a Chavez Administration be a continuation of the Gonzales Administration? *
* asking if a particular candidate’s voting record mirrors that of another, is a legitimate political question, not a “personal attack,” as some political commercials might lead us to believe.
Pete Campbell
ANSWERS: 1) Reed 2) Reed 3) I think so
#10 you call Chuck Reed a coward and don’t have the balls to sign your name. I think that is the definition of coward. #11,#16, #26, #27 you boys should make the sequal to Conspiracy Therory.
I see that #28 has joined the ranks of the Chain Pullers.
I thought he was serious until I got to “Are you saying that the country’s most successful, all-child, production of “Annie Get Your Gun” does not qualify Mulcahy to be mayor?”
Consider our chains pulled.
#29 He has served on enough downtown organztions to satisfy me and many other people. He has sacrificed his time for love of the city and not for the benefit of his family. They dont need this political stuff. He has enough knowledge a good mind and the leadership skills you cannot learn. I dont need the yellow pages. I know a winner when I see one.
Tom, at last count I had at least 30 votes for David Pandori from my family and friends. If all the nay sayers would just get off the negative track and jump on the train to a better San Jose, we’ll make the run-off.
Saturday will be an excellent opportunity to help us make one more push before Tuesday’s election. It’s the bottom of the ninth! Is it in you? Come join us and be a part of history;the team that made it happen. We’re at the corner of Lincoln and Willow Streets in the heart of Willow Glen
Hi Guys and Gals,
Pandori called me back at 4:10pm today, and I spent 30 minutes
with him on the questions from post #8. There was a
little back and forth to get some answers, and here they are:
Q1a) How does he plan on getting his ideas implemented if
he is elected?
A1a) He sees that getting elected will show that his ideas
resonated with the voters and be a mandate to the
other city council members to adopt them. Also, Cindy
is currently acting as the lead for others to follow.
If she is not elected, then there will be no existing
member on the council to take her place, and, thus,
there could be a real realignment in direction setting.
Q1b) How does he plan on getting his ideas implemented if
he is not elected?
A1b) Pandori didn’t want to answer this question. I backed
off and tried to ask it a different way. I didn’t get
a direct response, but it seems clear to me that he
will go directly to voters to keep the issues and
ideas he raised used to help select the next mayor
and to judge the performance during the term.
Q2) What is he doing to increase his chances of getting
elected.
A2) Again, Pandori didn’t want to answer this question. He
wrongly believed that I had already selected another
candidate, and diverging his strategy might hurt his
campaign and help the other. Trying harder, he began
by opening up a little and told of the approach that
he had been using so far, which has appeared to
have been successful. The elements included:
a) focus on the future
b) clarify the issues
c) put out a book with a plan clearly
laid out
The next few days until election on June 6th are critical,
and I believe he is waiting to see the results from the
poll on Friday to fine tune his campaign. Getting the
number of votes that will make a difference is key,
since “winning the debates”, and the getting the
endorsement by the Mercury News doesn’t seem to add
up to a big number compared to other approaches that
have higher voter touch.
In summary, I do thank you David Pandori for calling me back
and talking, even when you didn’t want to provide
me with answers.
I’m waiting for the result of the poll scheduled for this Friday.
The previous one appeared to have several flaws, and so we can
only hope that a better job is done this time.
I’ll be looking to see if the poll shows if Pandori has determined
the true desires of the San Jose voters, and has put them forth
clearly resulting in a mandate for action.
If so, I’ll support his lead.
If not, I’ll vote for a candidate that I believe has a good
chance of winning, and will accomplish good for San Jose.
I thought Dale Warner, though I never voted for him before, or agreed with his emails, posted on the proof last night, Just Wondering
I voted for Chuck over Dale. But now I think Dale got the Perot treatment.
As for Sue, well, just because Pete Campbell buys beef jerky from your mini mart on the way to the Chuckster Militia Meetings, does not make it all true
All I can say to all this discussion started by people like Mr. Warner and others, including, from what we can tell, a real person in Milpitas, is that Mr. Reed is being asked by some offices to clarify the purpose of his meeting with these developers. Perhaps Ms. Johnson has a point. People with evidence of this alleged series of meetings, should, as other have today, contact the appropriate city offices. Mr. Reed, from what we have been told by others, has promised a public statement very soon.
I agree with Refugio. David Pandori’s supporters are committed and passionate about convincing others that David is the best candidate for Mayor.
David was the underdog when he first ran for Council, but he ended up winning. Maybe he can pull it off again. I hope so.
Dammit. Chuck has every right to meet with developers outside the city and when he talks about it in the next day or two, all of you will know he had a damn good reason.
Didn’t Ron have a secrety meetings too? Outside the city?
Like in the newspaper, other races are getting little or no coverage on this blog. It takes the research skill of a 2nd grader to figure some of this stuff out.
The most ethically-challenged person involved in local politics is not Ron “NORCAL” Gonzales—it is Manny Diaz—by far.
Here are a few tid-bits:
As discussed here before, Manny hires Darren Seaton, enough said. Remember the Oakland Raider? Remember Manny was a big backer of Terry Gregory and Ron Gonzales?
Either on purpose or by laziness, Manny missed important/controversial votes in the Assembly. Take a look at what the Chronicle had to say about Manny:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/15/EDG8J4F0U41.DTL&hw=manny+diaz&sn=001&sc=1000
(Be sure to check it out, it is pretty funny.)
Someone just pointed this out: Manny is still raising money for State Senate. What is the deal with that? It looks like he raised about $20K THIS year. Isn’t this exactly what Ronny G. did with his PAC? Set up an outside account, or in this case keep it open, and raise money into a ‘slush’ fund.
Oh, by the way, on the same website where they list Senate accounts, it also lists registered lobbyists in Sacramento…is it possible that Manny is still registered up there? Has he no scruples?
Ok folks—never mind the “who is the most corrupt” in the Mayor’s race—in down-ballot races answer is obvious.
If you want to see Cindy Chavez as the next Mayor of SJ, go ahead and vote for David Pandori. In my mind and in the mind of many voters, Pandori is out of the race. He will never bypass the 3 or 4 candidates running ahead of him to end in 1st or even 2nd position on June 6th, even with the undecided factor. If Pandori was serious about being the next mayor of SJ, he should have left his DA position and joined the race much earlier. Besides Cindy, Dave Cortese and Chuck Reed are the only candidates who have a shot at cashing in on a Win or Place finish on June 6th. More than anything, I want to make sure that Cindy Chavez is knocked out, and the sooner the better. I’d be very happy with a Cortese / Reed match up in November. At least with these two, the issue of ethics and transparency at City Hall will not be the dominant themes in the fall campaign.
RobertoC – Keep up that attitude, that is exactly what the incumbents want you to think – that an outsider has no chance. A vote for Pandori is NOT a vote for Cindy. Even if she makes it to the general election, I think that many will vote for anyone but her. So, quit overanalyzing the polls and vote for who you want to be your next mayor.
Oh, so I guess Pandori isn’t “serious” because he didn’t declare sooner. Maybe it would be a big change in the life of him and his family so he wanted to make sure that this is what he wanted to do. Chavez, Reed & Cortese are already in the political forum so it wasn’t like they were going out on a limb as much as Pandori. You should admire him and not admonish him for choosing to get back into the political 3 ring circus. He is doing it for the purest of reasons.
So grow some courage and vote for a true change for San Jose – Pandori.
To Jerry Benjamin: Pls disclose your status as Board member of Mr. Mulcahy’s family company and as former board member of said company w/ Lewis Wolff. Also pls. disclose your role on his campaign team. Pls. tell us why Mr. Mulcahy finds San Jose schools not adequate for his OWN children. Are you planting information on other blogs as well without full disclosure? Pls. google your candidate’s website, and see the myspace blogs that come up with personal information that he probably does not want in the public eye.
Other candidates sites, (since they all have public life experience at the VERY least) do not have my space links.
Thank you.
Dan, you could be right. And isn’t it interesting that we’re not hearing from Reality Check anymore? I think somebody involved with Cindy’s campaign put a stop to those posts since they were doing more harm than good. Or will we now get a scolding from said blogger for posting here instead of working on our respective choices for Mayors’ campaigns?
This reminds me of when I was shopping for a new vacuum cleaner and went on line to read testimonials and opinions. More than one site had been infiltrated by the marketing department at Hoover, the verbiage was so smarmy, extolling the many attributes of the Hoover “Wind Tunnel” machine.
I think the majority of bloggers here aren’t working for any of the candidates, but are just concerened citizens taking advantage of the forum T McE has provided us to discuss various issues regarding SJ’s past, present and future.
Thanks Tom!
MANNY DIAZ IS TO AN ENGINEER, HE IS AN ENGINEERING MARVEL OF LIES DECIET ……
Manny Diaz – Registered Active Lobbyist not a Engineer
http://cal-access.ss.ca.gov/Lobbying/Lobbyists/Detail.aspx?id=1277372&session=2005
#59, I just can’t agree with you when you lump Cortese in with what Gonzales, Chavez and several other Council members have done as representatives for our city. I have worked with him, on the Evergreen / East Hills Task Force the past (almost) four years, and as I’ve come to know him during this process I could NEVER place him in the same “group” as you and many others have…I guess it’s “guilt by association”. Since your sentiments are echoed by others, who don’t know any better, it may turn out to be his downfall. But please know that he is a sincere, hard working individual who genuinely CARES about those he represents (not just in District 8, but the City of San Jose). I believe he will be a GREAT mayor if given the chance.
#44 Jerry
You say that serving as a planning commission is not a good training ground for a City Council person or Mayor. Get real! You say they are dealing with other peoples money so it doesn’t count. They are a fine group of citizens that take time away from their family and jobs to try to uphold our general plan and make S.J. a better place for our familys to live. You should know the don’t do it for the $1 per hour they get paid. I have seen commission hearings go til 2A.M. They donate up to twenty hours a week. Perhaps Michael could get a better understanding of land use issues if he could get appointed.
Jerry you make it quite clear what this is all about MONEY. Jerry was Lew Wolff ever your boss? Were you ever an emplyee of the Mulcahy Family? Is Michael decission to run about Money?
Michael, hot off the press!
On the front page of the Merc. ” Chamber rebuced over anti-Chavez mailer”. On page 15…“number of illegal signs Pandori 0, Mulcahy 160”. Also on page 15…“One Naglee Terrace resident ordered up a Mulcahy sign for her yard simply because she felt surrounded by neighbors dueling Pandori and Chavez.” I’m not voting for him I just wanted an other sign”
Now that isn’t a good SIGN. No pun intended.
Michael if you are sincere about wanting to make a difference and a change in S.J. now is the time for you to throw your support to Pandori and help this city get back on its feet. To stay in the race any longer would only reduce your status in the community to that of Ralph Nader. If you throw your support to Pandori the public would see you as a person who truly cares about this city and would give you an other shot in the future. Otherwise you would be perceived as the spoiler who in the end wasted Mulcahy votes, enabling Chavez to get elected. Supporting Pandori is a vote for the future of San Jose. You say” I can bring people together at the table” well here is your big chance to show us what you are made of.
NJD2: go back to kindergarten and learn to use your “inside voice”. Then move up to first grade and learn to spell simple one syllable words properly. Until then , please just put a sock in it!
Elections commission confirmed the mailers were legal issues advocacy!
The commission also found COMPAC violated the contribution limits of $250. So who made contributions more than $250? Could it be San Jose’s large wealth family?
If COMPAC violated the $250 contribution limit, it also most likely means the San Jose Police Officers’ Association violated the contribution limit for pro-Chavez mailer. Who is going to file that complaint?
#42: Thank you for bringing up the pathetic career of former councilmember, former assemblymember, wanna be councilmember Manny Diaz.
When I learned that he had “walked” on nearly 50% of the bills presented before the assembly I was embarrassed that I had voted for him. I paid him to do a job – not to provide default No votes which aided anti-environment/neighborhood lobbyists.
The man had the second worst record for walking out on votes during the 2000-2001 Assembly – and he wants to represent District 3? A study done by graduate students at USC found Diaz walking on everything from coastal protection to consumer protection.
In answer to your question is he a lobbyist – well he was in April 2006 when he filed his report at the state level. He misrepresents himself as an Engineer – I doubt he’s done that in many years.
He is an embarrassment to District 3, I hope he is sent home on June 6th never to return again.
#56 Is that true that to call yourself an Engineer you must be registered? Nice.
Here’s what he lists on http://www.smartvoter.org
Biographical Highlights
Occupation: Engineer/Small Businessperson
California State Assemblymember 2000-2004
San Jose City Councilmember 1994-2000
San Jose Planning Commissioner 1986-1993
Co-Founder of a non-profit, SHPE, dedicated towards the advancement of young people pursuing science and engineering careers
Engineer, 17 years
First in family to graduate college (San Francisco State, BS. Engineering)
Do you think “Small Businessperson” refers to his lobbyist firm with Pete Carrillo?
One of the papers mentioned that he sent out a message from an ex-wife saying he was a good Dad – but that it wasn’t the ex-wife he was withholding child support from. I wonder where she is in all of this.
I just heard a rumor that a week before the election the people threatened by Chuck Reed’s popularity will float a bunch of rumors of rumors about rumors…
Nothing specific will be offered, just hints of dark, unethical misconduct involving (gasp) developers in disreputable places like (double-gasp) Milpitas! (Cue: The theme from “Dragnet.”)
Bottom line: Put up or shut up!
# 3 GET A CLUE, AND #15 PUT DOWN THE COMIC BOOK AND GET BACK TO WORK , IF YOU DONT VOTE FOR PANDORI YOUR JUST PLAIN STUPID !! YES STUPID ,now go ahead and make your stupid comments ………….
#63, a new broom sweeps clean. That’s what we need at City Hall. If I have to choose between Dave, Chuck, or Cindy in November—and I sure hope I don’t—there’s no question that Dave will get my vote. But for the primary, the right Dave for the job is getting it.
The entire Council needs to be replaced. Not one of them escapes blame for the messes that have been created in the Council chambers. They have either been very effective in pushing through bad decisions (Cindy), or very ineffective in their opposition (Chuck and Dave). Voting against any Council incumbent running for their same seat or for mayor is the best way I know to get the house-cleaning process going.
#42 Makes Gonzo…
Did you see that the Mercury published an article indicating that the Diaz campaign office made up a quote and attributed it to a woman who did not give them permission to do so? http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/elections/14714204.htm
If you check the website of one of Diaz opponents you’ll see that the woman in question is endorsing Sam Liccardo. I can’t imagine how angry she must have been to receive Diaz literature and find herself issuing a fake quote for a man she didn’t support.
How embarrassing for his campaign. I wonder who else might be listed who never intended to give support.
#58. Dan.
While the campaign people may have tried to flood SJI I think they came away feeling like they banged their heads against a brick wall. For the most part the people who frequent this blog are not easily persuaded by campaign BS. That’s why folks like Reality Check, RR and Don have had such a hard time selling their spin here.
#60 Mark T.
Still looking for a vacuum? Be sure to let the salesperson allow you to snap the fixtures into place, remove & replace the dust bin yourself. Some don’t fit all that well.
(Off topic? Not really: There’s more than one way to clean up this town!)
http://www.sv411.com/?p=21
Am I reading this right?
Gonzales is stepping down and we wont learn about Chavez. What a crime.
#68 (SJ Downtown): Manny Diaz’s “neighborhood leader” endorsements are, indeed, suspect beyond what the Mercury News reported this morning. For instance, Diaz, in an email blast in April, and on his website, identifies two persons, Victor Nakamoto and Erlinda Lily Siquig, as being “Northside Neighborhood” leaders (and in the case of the email blast, “Neighborhood Association leaders” in the Northside neighborhood) as among Diaz’s supporters. The website, but not the email blast, also identifies Tiara Cortez and Tito Cortez as Northside neighborhood leaders supporting Diaz.
The problem is that I’ve never heard of any of these people, and I’ve been involved in the Northside Neighborhood Association, and very active in my neighborhood, for better than a decade. Perhaps these people live in my large neighborhood, and perhaps they support Diaz, but it is entirely unclear to me how they can purport to be “leaders” in my neighborhood, when they have to my knowledge never been involved in neighborhood activism over the last decade. If these people were in fact neighborhood leaders, under any reasonable interpretation of the phrase, I would know them. I therefore find the representations being made in this regard by the Diaz campaign to be highly misleading, if not deliberately dishonest.
As I’ve said before, the current Northside Neighborhood Assn. president (not me) publicly supports Sam Liccardo, as do I and several other Northside NA board members. I know of no Northside NA board members whatsoever who support Manny Diaz for city council.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but NJD2 (#51) what comic book are you reading where they can’t differentiate between “your” and “you’re”?
R2D2, I thought we asked you stop using all CAPS!
P.S. Is your real name Dennis?
Anyone know if there is a connection with Lowes and the Michael Mulcahy’s campaign? A Lowes web site has html inserted into one of its primary pages with “solutionsforsanjose”.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=home
Just view the html for this page and search on:
solutionsforsanjose
and you’ll find it. Website promoters often use this technique to push a site up in the search engine rankings……
but again….what is in this for Lowes????
Michael is cute, has charisma, looks like Gavin Newsom, is a hit on myspace and now sings on KFOX.
http://www.metroactive.com/metro/05.31.06/gifs/fly-0622.jpg
Where do I Text-Msg my American Idol vote to?
#46 – Miss Interested, got a little too much free time on your hands? How many voters in this election look at myspace? Gee, maybe some of the kids from the Children’s Musical Theatre are adults now, have myspace blogs, know Michael from the CMT and are……..shhh… gay. How scandalous. Get a life. Michael Mulcahy is an upstanding citizen of San Jose and is the best choice to lead the city.
#64, that’s rich. Michael throw votes to Pandori? It generally works the other way around, where the guy with no chance to win throws support to the guy with a chance to win. If there’s a Nader in this race, it’s Pandori. Nader helped W get elected, Pandori may do the same for Cindy. Nice try on the reverse pyschology, pal.
#70 Don – Thank you for clearing that up. I noticed on a mailer I received yesterday that Diaz seems to assign random neighborhoods to people whose names I recognize.
As with the problem you mention the people mentioned are not considered neighborhood leaders, they are not active with their neighborhood associations, don’t lead any efforts of neighborhood improvements and, in at least one case, don’t even live in the neighborhood assigned to them.
I suppose if we are unfortunate enough to elect Diaz we can expect the same sort of sloppy mismanagement, half truths and ineptitude as we have seen on all of his literature.
This doesn’t even go to addressing the serious lack of work ethic shown by his non-participation in the Assembly. Nor, I suppose his apparent lack of ability to put together coherent thoughts as was evident during the Council forums.
No, clearly Diaz is not worth considering.
Manny Diaz appears to be violating state law by referring to himself as an Engineer. You need to be licensed by the State (by passing a stringent test) to represent yourself as an engineer. It’s not enough to have an engineering degree. You also need to be licensed.
When I checked the Engineer’s Board, he’s not shown as ever having had a license.
So I go to read my ballot tonight and… are you ready for this?
Everything is printed in both english and spanish!
I couldn’t believe it. Can you imagine the shock I felt? That sinking feeling of utter dismay?
“Where is the Vietnamese translation?” I gasped.
“How about the Chinese translation or Tagalog?” I muttered in total disbelief.
After calming my nerves with a lovely Zin I picked up from Whole Foods on the way home, I began to think..
What conclusions are to be drawn from the city’s shameful episode of cultural insensitivity?
Are our dear leaders inferring that these other minorities are less worthy?
Are our dear leaders inferring that the non-spanish speaking minorities in San Jose are more capable and more proficient in english?
Is the bigotry of low expectations at work right here in the Garden of Tolerance and Inclusivity?
Nothing less than a heartfelt round of weepy proclamations of sensitivity and compassion on Channel 26 this week will start the healing process and begin to restore my shaken-to-the-core faith in our dear leaders.
#64 “Rebuced”? Learn to spell. Oh, hell, just learn to copy accurately and maybe you’ll get a little “cred”..
Mark T #67: Sign me up for a new broom.
Then let’s get a city council with a collective spine ASAP.
I think it would be interesting to determine how many of you bloggers are really members of various candidates campaigns. Paid or volunteer. If you are on staff maybe we should know it but then I guess full disclosure would damage the credibility of your posts. I’ve made my own little list and have determined that there are about 10 of you campaigners posting here.
Following up on my previous post, #70: I’m informed by someone on my Northside email group that the folks I don’t know who were identified as Northside neighborhood leaders supporting Manny Diaz have been involved in some fashion in the Northside Community Center, and at least one is involved with the Yu Ai Kai senior center in Japantown.
For those not familiar with it, the Northside Community Center, a Filipino veterans’ senior center located on the outskirts of my neighborhood, has not been, strictly speaking, a neighborhood center (which has been a bone of contention among some residents), and I wouldn’t regard its personnel or volunteers as “neighborhood leaders,” but I suppose the Diaz campaign may have been innocently confused.
#36 david – it seems that Pandori did answer your questions – maybe not the answers that you were looking for – but answered them more directly than most candidates would. I understand why he wouldn’t really “answer” the question of what he would do if he didn’t get elected. That is like asking the sharks at the beginning of the season, how they will change their when they don’t make the stanley cup.
Screw waiting for the poll – they can be off and there is lots of time until Tuesday’s election for people to change their minds – make up your mind based on the issues!
#29 When your in office, on boards commisions etc. your dealing with other peoples money and there is really no incentive to make sound decisions. When you are in business every money decision is scrutinized because it is coming out of your pocket. I feel more comfortable with a business saavy person running my city rather than a career politician because I know I will get more for my money. I am tired of hearing how they are going to spend our money. I want to know how they are going to bring in the money. That is Mulcahy’s focus. Thats where I believe the mayors focus should be and that is why I believe he is the best man for the job.
I just heard a rumor that Chuck Reed has secret meetings in a secret location in Milpidas with secret men in dark suits in secret dimly lit Italian restaurants. He then flies in his secret plane back to a secret location in San Jose where he secretly plans out his reforms for OPEN AND ACCESABLE government.
Gentlemen, grow up.
Assuming anyone is going to change their mind at this point: Chevez, Reed and Cortese are coupled to one of the most corrupt administrations this city has seen. Please recall the aforementioned voted to suspend investigations into Gonzo’s mischief. Does that bother anyone but me? I don’t want more corruption.
As Mayor Tom says Mulcahy may someday have the gravitas to be a good mayor. He doesn’t now…
The most condemning reason I’ve read to not vote for David Pandori is that the voter may be wasting their vote. Isn’t that a self fulfilling prophesy? Is that the best his detractors can come up with?
Democracy gets the government it deserves. So if you think Pandori is the right person for the job, vote for him.
Dear RobertC, I guess by now you realize a prophet you are not. Latest Merc poll has Dave P essentially tied with Dave C for the #2 spot. But I cant really blame you. The consultant providing Pandori with voter canvassing lists providing limited lists assuming there was no way an all volunteer group could could cover the City. They did. Cortese used primarily paid canvassing and of course City had massive labor help. Its not a miracle however. There is a reason, its inspiration provided to those who care about what is really important to our quality of life.
One little discussed City entity, most in need of “sunshine” is of course our RDA. Their backroom influence with downtown landlords, where “appropriate” prospective tenants are dictated, and the huge impact on their off-the-radar enticements to commercial/industrial landlords to sell out to the “Smart Growth” high density housing developers is common knowledge. Their new location on the 14th floor with access to the “employee only” elevator makes all of this so much more expedient for quick 18th floor access. As the only current “outsider” with inside Council experience, I think David Pandori offers the only hope for dealing with this chronic Seattle-like overcast.
Well folks, GREAT job with the effort to get Pandori into the runoff! What was that saying…“a vote for Pandori is a vote for Chavez”. We will see how the end results turn out tomorrow morning, but at this point it looks like you Chavez supporters will get their wish that she will become our next Mayor (or a continuation of the way things have gone for the past four plus years…we can thank voter apathy and short memories for that…San Jose residents you get what you deserve, unfortunately you’re bringing along the few of us who truly care about making this city reach its potential). A sad day indeed.