Willow Glen Resident
Letters & Opinions
Oliverio and Liccardo: Time for a dramatic change
Willow Glen residents have an opportunity this year to dramatically change the way the city operates. The District 6 election offers a choice of five candidates, all of whom have strong credentials for the job. One, however, rises to the top: Pierluigi Oliverio. In the runoff election between Manny Diaz and Sam Liccardo In District 3, Sam Liccardo seems more likely to help change the direction at city hall.
All the candidates are emphasizing the need for change in the way San Jose does business, and voters want to see that happen.
But a city government steeped in backdoor garbage deals, land grabs for shopping centers, land purchases for phantom baseball teams and a Grand Prix subsidy that is rammed through the council, requires a dramatic shift in the way a city of almost 1 million people is governed. It will require council members who are not beholden to special interests.
Oliverio is new to the political arena, but we see that as a plus, after watching the current council vote on issues that have benefited special interest groups instead of their constituency. Oliverio was not endorsed by the unions or special interest groups because as he said, "at the end of the day you still owe them."
While we saw strong qualities in Clark Williams, we worry about his labor endorsement; too many council members are in this camp. What the city needs is more leaders who are not affiliated with or beholden to labor or any other interest group. Steve Tedesco, former Chamber of Commerce CEO and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club, points to those experiences as having given him the proper credentials for the council seat. Unfortunately, neither organization flourished under his leadership.
Jim Spence, a former police officer with the San Jose Police Department, has a good understanding of issues like traffic, but, in spite of his participation in neighborhood organizations, we don't see him as someone who will move the city in a direction suitable for the nation's 10th largest city. Amiable Art Maurice has been a hard worker in the Cory neighborhood where he has been a leader, but at this point, he is not ready for a council seat.
Oliverio is adamant about full disclosure and government transparency, and wants to accomplish this by putting city information on the Internet in a user-friendly manner. He calls the city's process for issuing permits for businesses ineffective and broken. This has been especially true in downtown Willow Glen, where he has watched small businesses struggle to open their doors, he said. His high-tech skills will give him the right experience to stay on top of this problem.
At the same time, closer to his native Willow Glen, he wants help to reduce traffic problems on Lincoln Avenue and the surrounding downtown streets by increasing fines for speeders driving through the neighborhood and by removing the existing parking restrictions downtown, which he says hamper the livelihood of downtown business owners.
Oliverio is a promoter of more high-density housing in downtown San Jose, because without it, he said, there is no incentive for retail. But he added the city needs to be smart about where high-density projects are placed, which is why he supports the Tamien Place project near the transit corridor.
Oliverio promises to take into account the whole picture while weighing issues, recognizing the need to be a voice for his district, but also mindful of the pitfalls of the mini-mayor syndrome.
We think he will represent San Jose and District 6 well.
Sam Liccardo
District 3 candidate Liccardo is also a believer in the big picture and in the "if you built it they will come " philosophy regarding downtown.
Without high-density housing downtown, he said, there can be no support system in place for retail.
Liccardo also wants to eliminate the lengthy commercial permitting process, and he accused the city of suffering from a severe case of "consultantitis," calling it a "colossal waste of money."
Instead of paying for so-called experts to gather information about what people want, those same dollars could be used toward what is actually needed. As an example of where common sense should have trumped a costly study, he cites the thousands paid to a consultant to obtain information about what is required to fix the pool at Biebrach Park.
Like Oliverio, Liccardo is critical of the influence labor unions and other special interest groups have wielded at city hall. He has returned more than $2,000 in contributions he suspected had lobbyists ties. His opponent, Manny Diaz, has earned labor's backing.
As a deputy district attorney, Liccardo is familiar with the importance of negotiating and believes finding a middle ground to problems will benefit all parties. He brokered a solution to help improve the relationship between nightclub owners and police regarding closing time downtown. He wants downtown San Jose to become a patron-friendly, and a hospitable environment. He also has good insight about working with gang problems.
Both Oliverio and Liccardo are determined, if elected, to fix what has gone awry in San Jose. They want to bring back integrity and trust to city hall through the use of technology, transparency in government and greater community outreach.
The time to change San Jose government is now. The best candidates to accomplish that are Pierluigi Oliverio in District 6 and Sam Liccardo in District 3.
