January 5, 2007

Yeager says good bye to City Council, then sworn in
as county supervisor at crowded ceremony

By Carol Rosen
Editor

Ken Yeager spent the early part of his last City Council meeting on Dec. 5 getting teased and lauded by his comrades on the council, including the mayor and City Manager Les White.

Former District 4 County Supervisor Jim Beall congratulates District 4 Supervisor Ken Yeager just prior to his swearing-in ceremony. Photos by Carol Rosen

White, who typically gives a short speech when members are departing, was a bit sarcastic in acknowledging Yeager’s early mornings and how the District 6 councilman always was “the first to work.”

Yeager received a standing ovation from the council and the audience as well as a gift token to mark his six years on the council. The mayor acknowledged the hard work Yeager had done for the city and everyone thanked him.

A week later
Early on the rainy morning of Dec. 12, a crowd of at least 300 to 500 people gathered in the county chamber to watch Yeager sworn in as Santa Clara County’s District 4 supervisor.

Among those present were former San Jose Mayor Janet Gray Hayes, former supervisor Jim Beall, Assemblymembers Beall, Sally Lieber and Ira Ruskin, current Councilmembers Nancy Pyle and Nora Campos and Mayor-elect Chuck Reed as well as Yeager’s current and future staff and a host of who’s who in South Bay politics scattered throughout the room from Washington staffers to Campbell council members and trustees for various school districts.

Reed introduced Yeager with his wry sense of humor. “Ken doesn’t need an introduction. He spent hundreds of thousands of dollars making sure everyone knows him,” the new mayor quipped.

“You must be nice to Ken,” he told the other supervisors. When he quit smoking he became a runner. Right now he is devising a sequel to his City Council run up the stairs, said Reed, noting that for some reason Yeager always manages to outrun his colleagues.

Presiding Judge Catherine Gallagher swears in Yeager as the District 4 county supervisor.

Then he turned serious. “Our loss is your gain,” Reed told the supervisors. “I’m sorry to lose Ken, he is a huge asset, but I’m looking forward to working with him. And, now your people are our people and we can all work together.”

Yeager, who was then sworn in by Presiding Judge Catherine Gallagher, said that he felt it was appropriate that the first woman presiding judge of the county should swear in the first openly gay county supervisor.

The newest county supervisor described his early life in a small, conservative town in Southern California. He noted that the atmosphere here is welcoming and will allow anyone to go as far as he wants.

“By being here, I’ve been able to fulfill my dreams. I thought all I would ever be able to do was be an aide. But here I am an openly gay man who has won elections. Here [in this area], I’m judged for who I am and what I can accomplish.”

His goal, he said, “is to create a better society for all county residents. The county is the place to do that. This is the place where we as supervisors can find programs to save lives and turn lives around.”