Milestones: Who are they? – Opinion

You might notice the candidates seeking a City Council seat in Santa Clara.

Admittedly, some of them you have never heard of, at least, since the last election.

When asked “what have you done for Santa Clara in the past five years?” the answer is most often…nothing!

The candidates break down into three categories: 1) The Incumbents, who have voted consistently with the Mayor 2) The Dreamers, who haven’t got a clue and 3) The Doers, who have worked their buns off for the right to run and be elected.

Santa Clara is fortunate to have four bona fide, tested, and hard-working candidates who would bring a fresh breath to the Mayor’s restrictive iron hand approach to City legislation.

Imagine a City Council that actually worked with our business partners to increase revenues, planned growth, diverse housing, improved services and a workable budget.

The idea of an individual being elected who has not done anything for the community does not sit well in the minds of most voters.

The fact that an individual is endorsed by the Mayor, is no longer is an automatic guarantee of winning an elected seat.

There has been too much controversy regarding decisions made by the current Council Majority and that has made voters consider the importance of this election.

A case in point is the number of lawsuits this Council has become embroiled in, which has caused legal fees in Santa Clara to skyrocket! Just one of these suits regarding the California Voting Rights Act is pending a payout of over $3 million dollars, and that doesn’t include City legal fees — nearly another million.

This lawsuit verdict was appealed by the Mayor and Council majority. It would not look good to make a payment like this during an election cycle. So, more legal fees and interest are being accrued to delay the inevitable. However, Santa Clara will pay.

The current Council majority could have avoided this expense. They ignored three warning letters from attorney Robert Rubin over several years. Rubin strongly suggested Santa Clara form single member Council districts. The Council didn’t, so the court decided for them.

Santa Clara doesn’t need any more non-doers or Councilmembers with only one opinion.

On the ballot will be four candidates who care about Santa Clara and have worked hard for years to make this a better city.

They have track records that reflect balanced thought, effective planning, and community accomplishment.

My picks are: Suds Jain, Anthony Becker, Harbir Bahtia and Kevin Park.

They each have a record of working for Santa Clara to make the City better for all.