“Money is the mother’s milk of politics” was coined by California Assembly Speaker Jesse Unruh back in the 1980s.
Do you think money could have a serious influence in Santa Clara elections? Or…the lack thereof?
Of course!
A lot of money is being invested in this election by the 49ers. Lisa Gillmor and her cadre want to convince you that this election is about the 49ers spending money, instead of electing a competent city council. She aims to restore her one-woman rule with candidates whose single qualification is blind loyalty to Gillmor.
They offer no positive ideas. Instead, their campaigns are based on lies about their opponents.
Three have little history of community involvement. Teresa O’Neill, running for a third term, previously distinguished herself by obliterating a reputation for thoughtfulness and impartiality to serve Gillmor. She lost to a newcomer in 2020, despite the incumbency advantage.
The current council members have done a successful job — reducing deficits, addressing infrastructure needs, boosting city return from Levi’s Stadium, advancing important community development. For these reasons, they deserve to be retained.
Anthony Becker led the council in restoring competence to the offices of city manager and city attorney, in addition to his tirelessness in the causes of homelessness and affordable housing. He has earned a second term.
Suds Jain is both a leader and a collaborator. His knowledgeable contributions on fiscal, environmental and energy issues have made this council productive. He spearheaded the sale of the useless Loyalton property, which brought the city $6 million. Jain devotes himself to fulltime community service, and re-electing him will keep him working for us.
Kevin Park is independent, thoughtful and logical. He asks questions and is an outside-the-box thinker. Multiple perspectives on public issues lead to better decisions, and Park deserves to be re-elected to the council.
There is one campaign money issue that Gillmor doesn’t want voters to think about.
Back in 2016, Gillmor introduced big spending to Santa Clara campaigns by soliciting barrels of cash in “participation” — a.k.a. donations — from developers to the police PAC for a misleading and borderline libelous negative campaign with racist undertones. When asked about this, Gillmor’s slate expressed indifference, saying they had no control over it.
Santa Clarans have been there, done that and didn’t like how things worked under a Gillmor majority.
In 2018 and 2020, residents voted for change and reaffirmed that in 2022. Gillmor narrowly won re-election in 2022. Arguably, her grand jury report that appeared to be based on Gillmor’s campaign playbook handed her the 700-vote win.
Bottom line? Santa Clara voters have shown that they are not impressed by Mayor Gillmor’s one-woman rule. They have proven they prefer results.
Previous Milestones:
Milestones – If it’s not Broken – Opinion
Milestones – Do You Remember? – Opinion
Milestones – Can You Be Fooled Again? – Opinion
I see there’s a letter nearby from a candidate running for City clerk, touting his integrity. I have one question for him: will you swear under oath that you did not leak any grand jury material to anyone?