November 1, 2006

WGNA holds panel

District 6 candidates answer questions

The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association held its semi-annual general meeting on Oct. 11 and many within the area came to listen to the panel of five candidates vying to take over District 6.

Jim Spence, far right, gets ready to answer a question at the WGNA general meeting on Oct. 11. The other four candidates vying for the District 6 City Council seat are, from left, Art Maurice, Steve Tedesco, Clark Williams and Pierluigi Oliverio. Photo courtesy of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association

The seat, which has been held by Ken Yeager, will become vacant in December when Yeager leaves to take up his new duties as Santa Clara County Commissioner for District 4.

The five candidates—Art Maurice, Steve Tedesco, Clark Williams, Pierluigi Oliverio and Jim Spence—were given time to introduce themselves and then were presented questions sent in by area residents. They had one minute to answer each question. Kris Cunningham was the moderator.

All the candidates claimed to have leadership experience. For example, Tedesco noted that he’s held an “active leadership role in this city for the last 30 years…I will bring that leadership experience and the relationships I’ve developed with existing city council members and staff to the office. That’s important in solving problems.”

In another question dealing with historical preservation, Oliverio suggested that it is important to get someone from District 6 onto the Planning Commission. It’s important, he said, because District 6 houses the most unique and historical neighborhoods in the city. He also said that it is important to change the times of planning committee meetings, which currently are during the day. “They should be at night so that people who work can attend,” he said.

All five expressed concerns for the need to maintain the character of the neighborhood and not bring monster homes into the Willow Glen or Palm Haven areas, for example. Spence mentioned the importance of going through planning and codes with the city council member getting involved in the situation so that everyone can follow the laws and processes.

Another area they all agreed on was airport noise and maintaining the curfew. Williams quipped that he no longer needed an alarm clock, that the airplanes coming in wake him each morning. However, Oliverio noted that he believes San Jose is a mid-level airport. “We’re not going to be an SFO,” he said. In addition, there likely will be less travel by corporations rather than more, noting that one large corporation had sharply cut its travel budget.

For more information about the candidates, see the article on page 1 or go to www.smartvoter.org; www.stevetedesco.com; www.electclarkwilliams.com; www.jimspenceforcouncil.com; or www.FromHereForUs.com

The WGNA board meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Willow Glen Baptist Church, 1292 Minnesota Ave., at the corner of Hicks and Minnesota.