January 9, 2006

Campbell Mayor Jeannette Watson starts fifth term as city leader

By Carol Rosen
Staff Writer

Jeannette Watson brings wisdom, experience and a sense of humor to a job that many would find tedious at best and overwhelming at the worst. She says she’s ready to get started and quite excited to serve her fifth term as mayor of Campbell.

Former Mayor Jane Kennedy handing over the gavel to new Mayor Jeanette Watson.

“It’s always a thrill to be mayor. This is my fifth time and it’s still exciting to be mayor of this city,” says Watson, who has served as a city council member since 1985.

While she sees some difficulties, she also sees room for improvement. The major hurdle for the mayor and city council over the next year is the budget crunch. “We don’t have the money to do much,” she said, “because the state has taken it away. All the cities have the same problem. [The economic crunch] has made it difficult for cities to function.

“It’s not the kind of situation I like to see. It’s going to be very difficult to improve the economy, but we will keep the city afloat,” she said.

Campbell can pay its bills, she said, but there may be problems if there is an emergency. Or, for that matter, it might be hard to find the funds to make street repairs fixing everyday wear and tear.

“We have some money in our reserves, but not enough to cover all the things that could happen. I hope we don’t have any surprises, but if there are problems, we’ll face them when they surface. The time may come when we have to ask our residents for extra help.

“But in the meantime, we’re going to find one way or another to work it out. Unlike the United States government, we cities have to have a balanced budget. We can’t go out and borrow whenever there’s a problem.”

Watson thinks that if enough people are drawn to stores in Campbell, the increased sales tax will help tremendously. And, help appears to be on its way with new stores, like Kohls and Bed, Bath & Beyond going into Campbell on the old Breuner’s Furniture store site on Hamilton Avenue.

New businesses also are arriving in Campbell’s historic downtown. Watson sees the new shops and restaurants across the street from the Sonoma Chicken Coop with condos over the shops as a strong drawing card to city residents and to those living in and around Campbell.

Her hope is that people will “shop in Campbell as much as possible so the tax dollars will help us.”

Watson noted that one reason for the city’s strength are the “many good people in Campbell through all their volunteer efforts, they will make us have a successful year.” She also complemented the city council members and the city staff, “all of whom are involved in our city.”

“Our city is very fortunate,” she told the Times. “We have many dedicated people working on the council, good city managers and an excellent staff that has helped us make things work.”

The current Campbell City Council: (Back row) Don Burr, Jane Kennedy and Joe Hernandez; (front row) Vice Mayor Dan Furtado and Mayor Jeanette Watson.

If anyone can make things work it’s Watson. During her 20 years on the council she cites several “shining moments.”

Throughout her tenure, she has seen “improvements at the Community Center and the Heritage Theater, which was the final big job I wanted to see completed. The Community Center is being used well by a number of different groups.”

At the same time, downtown Campbell is coming back, she said, with wonderful new shops and restaurants. “And, that’s a great thing to see. We are lucky to have a viable and an historic downtown.”

Watson says she is proud of the Campbell Historical Museum and its “development into probably one of the finest small city museums you will find anywhere. Another Campbell treasure is the Ainsley House, which is now a national treasure. I’m pleased that we were able to preserve an important community building.”

Watson started her career as a volunteer in the Campbell Historical Museum. From there, she was asked to serve on a bond issue committee for the library and the city hall building. She then became chair of the Campbell Citizens for Beautification through the city council.

In 1972, when the city established the Civic Improvement Commission, Watson became its first chair. From there, she got involved with the Chamber of Commerce, becoming the first woman to serve as president.

“After that I was approached by people in the community and took the logical step to run for the City Council in 1985. I was the first woman on the City Council.” She’s been elected every four years since that time.

It’s been a long impressive career helping the city of Campbell grow and become a jewel of a place to live within bustling Silicon Valley. Watson’s vision has been an important part of the city’s growth. She is proud to say, “I know that when I leave, I will have left the city a better place.”