Cupertino DailyMy ideal Cupertino politician
by Ruby Elbogen
While November seems a century away, with the presidential election still on our horizons, the buzz around Cupertino about who will run for city council in the next cycle is already in the air. And, a good policy for wannabe councilmembers is–there are no secrets in a small city like ours.
Would be city councilmembers have already begun posturing and lining up, or beefing up their base of supporters. While the early promises of support are about as reliable as using chewing gum instead of super glue to close a package, just because someone says yes, they may not mean it.
In the conversations I have been privy to, many residents are tired of business as usual. My own wish list includes the words: younger, smarter, less connected to “the good old boys”, independent thinker, consensus builders, past lies in your rhetoric if you ran before count, striving to act on behalf of constituents instead of feeling that getting elected means acting on behalf of personal interests, running a self-funded campaign without taking endorsements from organizations, developers, business or other
politicians from near or far away, doing the homework required instead of winging it at council meetings-it shows, staying neutral, taking contributions just from individuals-and sticking to $99. or less from each one. And, most of all-talking to as many segments of the community to really know how people feel about an issue.
My ideal candidate would not take any developer money-even if it’s donated from individuals who happen to be developers, would build a diverse base of supporter volunteers to help get the word out, someone who does not constantly turn to city staff for advice, and tops on my list is a candidate who reaches out beyond his or her comfort zone to learn how people really feel, and who actually cares about those opinions. This is a very intelligent city, my perfect candidate would strive for new opinions and ideas from people of all ages and backgrounds. Most of all, please do not feel you were anointed or elevated to royalty.
Okay, then - if you are a candidate who is younger, smarter, open to new ideas, supports our business community and our residents, and if you want to do this rather thankless volunteer job with intelligence, patience and have some modicum of savvy, can take criticism from frustrated residents, are striving for transparency in government–and willing to work with the community even if it means upsetting “your base” - I’m getting in your line, taking out my checkbook, putting on my walking shoes to introduce you to my neighbors and friends. Welcome aboard.
Tags: city council, Cupertino, politician
You must be logged in to post a comment Login
