Ask Joe Pirzynski what he's been most proud of in his past four years on the Los Gatos Town Council, and he won't talk about the adoption of the downtown parking management plan or the completion of the Town Plaza Park renovation.

He won't mention his year as mayor, when he was the driving force behind the first Leadership Los Gatos program, the first Los Gatos Film Festival and the first town-wide Fourth of July celebration.

He also won't bring up the approval of the Sobrato mixed-use development on Winchester Boulevard, which the town hopes will entice light rail to Los Gatos.

Instead, Pirzynski will talk about the shift in town management that's occurred, with a group of almost entirely new department heads that he calls "exceptional people."

"The thing that was most significant for me was hiring Debra Figone as the town manager" in November 2001, Pirzynski says. Figone's focus has led management to "become a leadership team that's driven by delivery of service. [Figone] walks the talk. When she says, 'We want to do something,' she's first in line to do it," Pirzynski says.

Another key figure is new Los Gatos­Monte Sereno Police Chief Scott Seaman, hired in July. Pirzynski says he is impressed by how quickly Seaman has integrated himself into the community, projecting a genuine air of care and concern for his employees and for the town. "He knows what small-town policing is like. He looks like a happy guy right now," Pirzynski says.

Pirzynski also singles out Bud Lortz, who was promoted to director of community development in early 2001. "Bud is a blessing," Pirzynski says. "He's had to balance so many conflicting values" for "a load of projects, complex projects."

That, in turn, has given employees on all levels a sense of ownership and pride to be working for the town. "I think this is becoming an organization that's almost as good as it gets in government," Pirzynski says. "The town is so much better now than it was even four years ago."

Things for the 28-year Los Gatos resident have also gotten better in the past four years. In 1998, Pirzynski was a planning commissioner whose primary experience was 16 years in disaster relief. As founder of the Disaster Aid Response Team (DART), Pirzynski got to spend time with local law enforcement officials and parks and public works employees. Together, the team pulled people out of Los Gatos Creek, worked on fire protection and helped out with mudslides and floods.

"That was the experience that made me aware of all of the town, all of the neighborhoods," Pirzynski says.

Through his involvement with DART, others urged Pirzynski to run for the Los Gatos Town Council, which he says is "as good as it gets." Being in politics "certainly wasn't something that I strove for, and it's not something that I want to go beyond Los Gatos with," Pirzynski says. "The idea that government is better beyond this is not an attitude I subscribe to."

Pirzynski says he loves the feeling of walking down the street and being stopped by a resident with complaints and problems that the town can do something about. "To me, it's really important to be the eyes and ears of the community," Pirzynski says. "If there needs to be a stop sign at Bicknell and More, then I'm the guy to call. If there needs to be traffic calming on Johnson, talk to me."

This term, Pirzynski says, "has been four years of immersion in what's really going on in the town" and "being part of an organization that's a healthy organization, a thriving organization. When you've got something that's so good, being able to say, 'I'm helping it'--that's life-enhancing."

What Pirzynski has also learned is the ability to make balanced decisions. "Good government is to take all the points of view and really weigh them," Pirzynski says, "and make a good value judgement about what's really important."

If reelected, Pirzynski wants to continue working on transportation in Los Gatos. Pirzynski represents the area on the Valley Transportation Authority's board of directors and will continue to do so for three more years.

Although it's expected that there will be a light rail station on Winchester, the VTA has not yet formally committed to building it. Pirzynski says he wants to make sure it happens. "What's required is that we state very clearly that transit is important to us," Pirzynski says.

Other ways that Pirzynski is focusing on transportation is working with Santa Cruz to offer better bus service between the city and Los Gatos; encouraging the VTA to operate a shuttle that will make stops throughout the town; and urging Caltrans to improve safety on Highway 17 south of town.

While some of the other candidates in the race say they want to see another parking structure built downtown, Pirzynski says it doesn't make sense. The council had previously looked at doing so and discovered that it would cost $13 million for a structure that would house 175 spaces, which Pirzynski says doesn't even solve the problem. New spaces don't deal with the cause of the congestion but are more of a quick solution.

Pirzynski says enhancing Los Gatos Boulevard is another issue that's important to the town. He hopes that the council will fulfill the Los Gatos Boulevard Specific Plan, which will outline the town's vision for development in the area.

When he's not attending regional committee meetings or doing research for the town council or meeting with Mitty High School students, Pirzynski and wife Pamela generally spend their free time in town. The Pirzynskis spend their Sunday mornings eating breakfast at Southern Kitchen and then strolling over to the Farmer's Market, often bumping into people they know.

The couple loves Hawaii, going to Maui or Kauai at least once a year, but Pirzynski says Los Gatos "is like being in a vacation area. There are so many beautiful places, but we keep coming back here."

"My intent is to be a resident of Los Gatos forever."