November 3, 2006

Who Should Lead?

Campbell voters have difficult choices for City Council

Five strong candidates vie for three seats

By Carol Rosen
Staff Writer

Five candidates are vying for three open seats on the Campbell City Council in next Tuesday’s election. Two are incumbents and three have not held city office before. All five appear well qualified and appear able to offer much to the citizens of Campbell. But there are substantial differences between the candidates. Some are quite serious, while others temper their message with humor. It is clear, however, that all of the candidates care about the city.

To help you make your choice, the Times asked all five the same questions. We also put together biographies on each. Following are their answers; we have listed the candidates in alphabetical order.

Tom Francois, 65, moved to Campbell when he was 7 years old. After high school Francois attended trade school and the police academy. While he has never sat on the City Council, he worked on the city’s planning commission for nine years and spent 28 years in the police reserves, retiring as a captain. He is also well known as a business owner who owned a butcher shop for many years.

When his leg was amputated a few years ago due to serious circulation problems, Francois reached out to others in need by giving hope and compassion through his motivational speeches.

Perhaps his most gratifying work involves working with inmates in correctional facilities. At first, he didn’t feel comfortable, but he felt a “strong connection” with this group of people. “We’ve both had some type of loss,” he explained. “I’ve lost my leg. They’ve lost their freedom.” Francois often uses self-effacing humor to diffuse awkward situations and even has been known to refer to himself laughingly as the “bald guy with the stump.”

He decided to run for the council in order to “contribute to the community.” His background in the planning commission and the police department provide him with the knowledge to know how public service works. Besides that, “I’m a good listener and I have respect and compassion for our community,” he said.

“My role [on the City Council] is to try to make City Hall accessible to people; to streamline the permitting process and activate downtown development. I want to make it easier for people to get permits and licenses,” Francois said.

That ties in with what he thinks the citizens of Campbell consider the main issues of importance beginning with the budget. Cities earn money through revenues, he said, including sales and property taxes.

Campbell is really lucky, he said, because the city has been able to remain solvent following the dot-com bust. While it has had a “hiring freeze” no one has been laid off, but some jobs are empty due to attrition. In addition, he said there has been no cut backs in necessary services such as police and fire.

“The city manager is doing well and there’s a good budgetary structure in place. The present council is doing well with the budget,” he said. However, he sees the need to continue to increase revenues. “We need to either get more money coming in or cut back,” he added.

It’s important, he said, to attract and keep new business, because that’s what keeps the revenues rolling in. “I would like to see the budget continue to balance. At the same time, I’d like to see the high levels of police and fire presence out there, but within the constraints of the budget.”

The other two major issues for voters according to Francois are traffic congestion and public safety. He feels that there’s no way to rid the area of traffic congestion. However, “we need to get people out of their cars and make downtown more of a mixed area of retail and housing.” He suggested that public transit is one idea, but walking is another. “It’s healthier and more social,” he said.

There’s also too much speeding even on local, residential streets. “I worry about the kids crossing streets. If we can get people to use light rail to get downtown, it would be good. It won’t solve the problem but it will lessen the congestion.”

As for safety, Campbell is one of the safest cities in Santa Clara County. Francois attributes much of that safety to Police Chief Dave Gullo, who is “well-respected not just by law enforcement, but by the citizens of Campbell and by other police agencies in the Santa Clara County area.”

The reason is that Gullo, who Francois called “solid-gold,” respects both citizens and his police force and is not afraid to exhibit compassion. “There’s nothing more important to Gullo and his officers than the safety of our citizens,” he said. “That’s why during festivals and events, there is a large police presence to prevent problems; and the police have a zero tolerance toward anyone who is drunk or causing problems,” he added.

The police force is able to respond within three to five minutes, he said, which is another reason the city is so safe.

Moving on to the current recent boost in development in Campbell, Francois expressed pleasure at the increased retail mixed with housing downtown and at the Onyx and other new developments. “The city is in transition. But the key thing is that we are maintaining the historical preservation and keeping the small town feel and sense of community.”

As a former planning commissioner, he’s happy to see the new development, the big box stores on Hamilton and downtown stores nearly 100 percent occupied. “We have to have revenue and generate money. The big box stores contribute to Campbell’s welfare.”

The affable Francois is reluctant to choose which candidates he would prefer to serve with, calling all four “nice people with a sense of community.” However, he also noted that Dan Furtado “is rock solid and committed to the city. He does more for this city than anyone knows. He’s my hero. As for Jayne Kennedy, she is committed to service; she’s been a council member for eight years and a planning commissioner for 16.”

Finally, the Times asked Francois where he would find time to work on the city council. The retired father of three with eight grandchildren does motivational speaking, has a cable television show, plays racquetball and works out at the gym. “I’m working 40 to 50 hours a week on the campaign to get on the council. If I win, I can certainly make the time to serve,” he concluded.

Dan Furtado, 62, has been on the City Council for eight years, and has won the respect of nearly everyone in Campbell. He earned a bachelor of arts from San Jose State University, a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of California and a Master of Public Admin-istration from the University of San Francisco.

The pharmacist and family medicine teacher at Stanford recently cut back his work schedule to four days per week allowing him more time to work for Campbell.

His roots in Campbell go back more than a century. One grandfather moved here in 1902 and the other in 1925. He was born and raised in the city. “I certainly believe in public service, and I’m very interested in local affairs. There are always different assignments, [such as the library or sewers]. I like public policy and to work on projects where you actually can see the outcomes,” he said.

Furtado agrees that city finances are the major issue on Campbell’s citizens’ minds. “We’re just starting to come out of the downturn,” he said. “We’ve had adequate reserves and been able to fund basic services although we’ve lost 20 positions due to attrition and our hiring freeze. We’ve also cut back on spending, but we’ve been able to maintain our necessary services.”

The next issue on residents’ minds is to be able to provide an adequate balance on jobs and housing with both affordable and adequate housing coupled with business and jobs.

Finally, he said people are concerned and want to see necessary services such as police, fire and paramedics—a licensed paramedic accompanies each emergency medical call—as well as roads, sidewalks, parks and recreation remain available. These necessary services are important to Campbell citizens, he said, and must be available to all who want them. “My goal is to continue to provide these services,” Furtado said.

Campbell has relatively low crime statistics, he added, although there are concerns about drugs and speeders. The police force is well trained and has worked and developed plans for disaster management, pandemic preparation and other large-scale problems. In addition, the Campbell police have a good working relationship with Los Gatos and maintain good training practices, Furtado said.

Even though the city has been growing both businesses and housing, it still continues to hold on to its small town, historical perspective, he said. In the past few years, the city, which has had strong agricultural roots, has changed. New development downtown and big box stores—such as Frys, Kohls and Bed,Bath and Beyond—on Hamilton Avenue have been built providing what Furtado says is an appropriate business to housing mix. “These stores may contribute to traffic congestion,” said Furtado, “but the sales tax revenues are helping the city stay solvent.”

“The city is getting to the point where it is almost building out. We are starting to redevelop in some areas, such as the Winchester Boulevard and Campbell Avenue area. As long as we look at all the elements, the development can still work,” he said.

However, he finds it really important to “make sure we manage growth. It’s important to preserve the small town feel and the high level of community services. One area that I think is terribly important is street repairs. I definitely want to continue to improve street conditions.”

Furtado also wants the city to continue to provide a good balance of services including recreation, classes at the community center, the theater and arts programs. In addition, he believes the City Council also needs to develop and maintain good relationships with area schools.

He too was reluctant to discuss which candidates he would like to serve with, but suggested that Kennedy and Francois would be the best. “Jayne is a local business woman who has done a great job [on the council]. She has been the chair of the Valley Transportation Agency, which is unusual for someone representing a small city like ours. She’s done a remarkable job, I’d like to see her re-elected.”

As to whether he has time to spare for the council, he calls himself “a well-organized person. I struggle sometimes, I enjoy teaching, but my family and the city are very important to me, and I can allocate enough time for all those things.”

Evan Low, 23, may be young, but he has been gaining experience by joining committees and organizations the past few years. This is his second run for city council. Low, who earned a degree in political science from San Jose State University, says although he is young he is ready to be a member of the City Council.

He too sees three issues as the major focus of Campbell citizens: public safety, preserving Campbell’s “small town feel and unique sense of identity” and providing improved and regular street maintenance and traffic control with decreased congestion.

“Campbell is central to a lot of areas in Santa Clara County, and they use our roads to get through to their homes,” he said.

Like his opponents, Low also sees Campbell as an “overwhelmingly safe community.“ He wants to maintain that safety through collaboration with the San Jose Police Department, sharing information about gangs and identifying neighborhoods where graffiti is a problem.

However, he is the only candidate to identify domestic violence as a problem. “I think this should be addressed inside and outside the community by educating residents and adopting methods to address such problems.

Low likes the development direction the city has been taking. However, he cites the need to ensure there is enough balance and appropriate barriers to impacted areas so that noise and traffic congestion do not plague homeowners.

“Development is good, but we have to have a balance to maintain our small town feel. As for housing, we have a growing population and we need to ensure affordable and adequate housing, “ he said.

Quality of life is important to Low. He worries that some benefits to Campbell citizens are lacking. Using the example of the library, which is closed on Sunday and Monday, he questioned why other cities are able to keep their libraries open six and seven days a week.

“It is unacceptable for the [Campbell] libraries to be closed on Sunday and Monday. We need someone to be proactive, to seek out new strategic partnerships with schools and businesses to keep those services available to Campbell,” he said.

The answer to the library problem can be fixed by developing strategic partnerships with local corporations, he said. For example, Google partners with Mountain View and Apple with Cupertino. E-Bay and Net Flix are in Campbell, he said, developing strategic partnerships could help upgrade the city’s technology and provide grants. Low also feels this would likely lead to more creative environments, he added.

Low cites two other goals he would like to see if he is elected. One of these is to make Campbell more walk able and pedestrian friendly. “You already can do this in downtown Campbell, we need to be able to walk throughout the area, this would also decrease pollutants,” he said.

While Low considers all of his opponents qualified, he said he would like to see a “fresh perspective and new leadership with a diverse representation. I think Campbell needs a fresh perspective and new energy; it’s time for new leadership. Margie Mitchell has experience; she has a school-board background. Tom Francois has a wide depth of knowledge and experience but hasn’t served on the City Council.”

Low was elected president of the Silicon Valley Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Democratic Club in 2005 [LGBT]. LGBT is a chartered member of Santa Clara County Democratic Party and the California Democratic Party.

While Low works full time at the Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley as the Director of Government and Public affairs, he still feels he has the time and the ability to “focus on the necessities of the job,” he said.

Jane Kennedy, 64, has been active in Campbell for most of her adult life. She spent two years at American River College in Sacramento and has taken accounting and tax classes over the years. She’s spent the last eight years on the City Council and prior to that spent 16 years on the planning commission serving as chair in 1982, 1991 and 1995. In addition, she has been “instrumental in planning a majority of Campbell’s changes and new developments over the last 30 years.”

“I really want to give back to the city,” she said. “I want my children to be able to live here and to enjoy it. I love this community and the people who live here are so nice,” Kennedy said.

She also cites the budget as one of the more important issues that Campbell citizens are concerned about. Like her opponents, Kennedy noted that Campbell is solvent; it’s budget is in line and its reserves stable enough to allow the council to continue services at the same levels as in the past.

Another important issue is community development, she said. Citizens want “us to do whatever we can to enhance the community, make it more livable and develop community center programs.”

A third issue is maintaining and taking care of roads and streets within the communities.

Part of that maintenance is safety, and, like her opponents, Kennedy believes that the strong police force is doing a great job of keeping the city safe. But it’s not just the police doing a good job, it’s the neighborhood groups that keep an eye out for each other and look after their own neighborhoods so if something appears to be wrong they can alert the police.

Kennedy is pleased with the changes that have been developing within Campbell and would like to see them continue as long as there’s a balance between housing, retail and industry. Mixed usage development offers great potential, she said, as long as the density doesn’t get too crowded.

She’d like to see further changes, for example the Winchester corridor from Hamilton to the Campbell city limits. The area should be spruced up, she suggested. While some people are not in favor of the big box stores, like Kohls or Bed,Bath and Beyond, these stores provide tax revenues that “help our budgets and thus our services. We need their sales taxes to build our revenues.”

If re-elected she has three goals: One to “see the budget stay solvent and keep the reserves safe;” second to upgrade the Winchester corridor to look like downtown Campbell; and three to develop the light rail to get more people to ride it which will decrease traffic congestion.

Kennedy also said she feels that all four of her opponents are qualified. However, she felt that Low and Margie Mitchell would “benefit from additional experience. You need to have experience in city government and be well prepared,” she said.

As to her time, although she operates a business, she notes that she has “been doing this for a long time. I’ve learned well how to schedule and organize my time. I know how to watch priorities to do what is important to the city and its constituents.”

Margie Mitchell, 52, recently purchased her first home in Campbell, where she has lived for the last 12 years. Mitchell attended West Valley College for two years after high school. Like her opponents, Mitchell also has been active serving for the last eight years on the board of the Campbell Union High School District, working on the Campbell Heritage board and holding officer positions in several organizations.

However, she vows she will leave her seat as a CUHSD trustee if elected to the City Council. “I’ve spent eight years with the high school board. I love working with children, but it’s time for a change. I want to make the same commitment to the city of Campbell.”

Mitchell says Campbell’s citizens are most concerned about the city’s budget. “People want to see budget solvency because without that you can’t provide the much needed services and public safety.”

Their secondary concerns are with programs for youth, young adults and for senior citizens.

Like her opponents, Mitchell says Campbell is “very safe for a city its size. I can walk around alone at night and I haven’t had any problems,” she said.

One way to keep the crime rate low is to provide programs for youth and young adults, she says. “When kids have something to do and they are busy and occupied, crime does not increase. By developing programs to keep teenagers occupied, there won’t be as much crime.”

As for the police, she says there currently are enough officers on the force, but “this needs to be reassessed on an ongoing to basis,” to ensure there are enough officers to keep the crime rate low.

While she heartily approves of the current new and on-going development in Campbell, Mitchell cautions that new housing and commercial and retail needs to be “built in a way that maintains the unique atmosphere of Campbell. But, we need these new big box stores and other developments to bring in the much-needed revenue Campbell needs to sustain a solvent budget.”

It’s obvious that the development has been well planned since the mixed usage allows people to live and work within the community, Mitchell said.

Mitchell says her major goals as a council member will be to maintain a safe community as well as an outreach to youth and young adults. She vows to “achieve the service that would meet the needs of residents.”

She says she would be willing to work with any of her opponents. “I tend to listen, step back and look at the needs for students,” she said of her tenure on the school board. The single mother of two college students feels her work with the city council would be the same. “I’m willing and capable of working with any of them. I’m fine working with whomever the residents select.”

Find out more about the candidates by visiting their Web sites:

- Tom Francois’ Web site is www.tomfrancois4campbell.com
- Dan Furtado’s Web site is www.danfurtado.com
- Jane Kennedy’s Web site is www.janepkennedy.com
- Evan Low’s Web site is www.evanlow.com
- Margie Mitchell’s Web site is www.margiemitchell.org