Editorial
Knapp's departure is a loss for community
These days it seems like Los Gatans can't stop talking about how things are changing. Mom and pop shops disappear, cottages become big houses, open spaces--from orchards to vacant lots--are transformed into expensive homes.
And now, another change.
That dapper gentleman with the trim beard who rides his bicycle through downtown dressed in a business suit and a safety helmet, is leaving town.
One can only wish nothing but the best for town manager Dave Knapp. He put in 10 years in Los Gatos, a very long time for a town manager to stay in one community. And he is leaving on the best of terms with the town council and the staff as he moves on to accept a position as city manager for the city of Cupertino.
Still, the town won't be the same. Knapp has been a part of the community in every sense of the word. When everyone else is packing up blankets and picnic lunches at the end of a Music in the Plaza concert, Knapp and his wife, Kay, are industriously picking up trash and getting it into garbage cans.
When St. Luke's Episcopal Church holds its annual garden tour, Knapp hands out tickets and directs participants to their lunches inside the church courtyard--not as a member of the town staff, but as a member of the church.
Knapp likes to drop in on merchants to find out what's on their minds. He makes it a point to keep his finger on the pulse of the community, and he works tirelessly behind the scenes to bring factions together.
With the staff of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, Knapp was always quick to return calls and patient in explaining the intricacies of local government. Interviews with the town manager always revealed that he understood every side of every issue--and that he had great empathy with all viewpoints.
If he didn't know the answer to a question, he'd say so, and then he'd tell you he'd get the answer and get right back to you. And he would.
He went through an excruciating time when his wife was undergoing treatment for cancer. Still, he did his job with the same competence and integrity that has always characterized his time in Los Gatos.
Those who worked closest with him say that whether the council voted the way he hoped they would or not, he always said, "That's the will of the council, and I'll make it work." And he did.
Dave Knapp will be missed for his managerial skills, his professionalism and his integrity. Council members say they'll miss his great staff reports. Said one former council member, "He was always succinct. He'd say, 'This is the summary, and this is how I reached my decision.' "
But most of all, he'll be missed because he has always been such a visible and caring member of the community.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
