It is only July and it appears there is more interest in the November election than the results of FIFA World Cup finals.
It appears there will be so many choices for mayor of Santa Clara that you may need all your fingers to count them.
The mastermind of Santa Clara politics is current mayor Lisa Gillmor. I say mastermind because she has honed her political skills for the last thirty-some years and has remained on council 22 of the last 34 years.
During that time, she has advanced the low-key acquisition of multiple properties throughout the city. Maybe more important is her skills in developing relationships. Any political figure in the county knows Gillmor, and she knows them. She has used her position to direct political traffic in multiple elections.
Clearly, she is a skilled public figure who has also become influential in the city and the county.
As we soon approach another election in November, Mayor Gillmor is termed out.
That is, as mayor. Will she retire from council? Don’t even give it a thought. Gillmor has planned ahead for years as to how to remain on council, and this year will not be an exception.
Think about this. Lisa Gillmor has been on the council for 22 of the last 34 years. Her political influence is so entrenched with staff, who learn quickly that there is one way to keep their jobs: subscribe to the Lisa Gillmor decision process.
Soon she will step down as mayor and support Kathy Watanabe, a former council member, to replace her. Kathy is just as spiteful as Lisa.
Currently, there are at least a half dozen hopefuls who are hanging on to their hats, hoping to toss them in the political ring as a mayoral candidate. That’s perfect for Gillmor’s plan.
The votes for mayor will be divided among the multiple candidates, making Watanabe Santa Clara’s new mayor.
Gillmor will be termed out as mayor, but she will run for the council seat from her district and likely be elected. How do I know she will be elected again? It’s easy if you think about it. Gilmor has worked hard to garner favor from the Santa Clara police force, and they will throw the full force of their PAC’s money machine and vicious campaign methods behind any candidate she endorses. The “favor” she regularly returns to the force is compensation. The SCPD are the highest-paid officers in the state of California.
So, when called on by the Gillmor election team, all off-duty SCPD officers are “invited” to canvass any voting district promoting a Gillmor candidate and, of course, including Gillmor.
There is most likely only one candidate in Santa Clara capable of matching wits with the Gillmor political operation.
Any suggestions?
Previous Milestones:
Milestones – Late to the Party – Opinion
Milestones – Bullet Train to Wealth Tax? – Opinion
Milestones – You Have to Ask Why? – Opinion
Milestones – Welcome to Santa Clara – Opinion
Geez Miles, what a load of crap you serve up. I see it regularly, and seeing “Mary’s Opinion” piece in the Spotlight and this on the same day, I just ask a simple question: Why don’t you talk about facts that matter?
Had Lisa been in politics for a couple decades? Yes. Is she well known? Yes. Is she a successful business woman? Yes. So what?
Have you bullied her while shielding others who align with your distorted and deceitful perspective? Yes. Do you mostly report one side of an issue? Yes. Did this business change the way they reported when the stadium was built? Yes.
Why do promote and foster this toxic sludge day after day? Some of your reporters are fair and objective, albeit leaning in one direction, while others have joined you on the lack of objectivity train that is moving at lightning speed.
You know what you really hate Miles? Lack of control. It’s not that Lisa has been involved in politics for so many years (plenty of others you support have been in politics longer, both as council members and mayor), it’s that you can’t control her. There is literally nothing you can do or say that in any way threatens her. As you pointed out, she has her own money, so can’t be bought. She answers to no one but the people of Santa Clara. She grew up here, she raised her three kids here, she has donated almost half her life to public service, she has three full time jobs: mother of three & wife, real estate agent, and mayor. Each of these roles is 30-40 hours a week. Lisa shows up at city events…like all of them. And not because she has to, but because she wants to. Because its good for Santa Clara. You can and do malign her in your paper daily, and she will still do her job and lead this city.
I’ve known your paper for over 23 years, so I know what this local city-based rag can put out. It did good investigative reporting. And now, if that reporting could expose a certain truth, it burys it’s head in the sand and calls foul in an effort to distract.
Why don’t you show a little respect to your mayor? Why not write an article that focuses on the positive elements of the Gillmor legacy? Put your investigative hat on. Send in one of your best investigative reporters, Carolyn Shuck. I am confident as her boss, if you direct her to write an in-depth article on the mayor, she will do a bang-up job. Why not try that on for size? Folllow the direction of one of your biggest fans, Mary Grizzle. She is promoting a positive approach. You have the ability to actually implement that, and not hide behind an option piece. There is too much external crap going on right now that is out of our control, and it affecting the community, local businesses, and our neighbors. People are struggling financially and mentally. Be a positive and objective paper again, one that honors Santa Clara. I mean, it’s your namesake for crying out loud! It’s what the city needs.
Gilmore is a mayor of hatred. That’s the simple fact. Did she speak for the city before and during the World Cup games played here? No. We saw, heard and read article from mayors of other bay area cities but the City of Santa Clara was seldom mentioned. Why? Gilmore is a mayor of hatred.
Sorry Jim, you’re just wrong. It’s sad to see that you cannot see the good and efforts people make. Wonder why they is?
Gillmor has done little to advertise the city thru the largest sports arena in the SF Bay area. I attribute that to her hatred. Have you ever encountered her in a non-political situation? She’s nasty.
Kirk Vartan the special advisor to the Mayor showing up to defend his boss Lisa Gillmor is no shocker. He is an apologist for her bad behavior and is part of the root of the problem to a lot of the city’s issues since the grand jury report he waives around like scripture. More than likely Vartan filed false complaints and got interviewed. He showed up to council meetings to charge councilmembers against Gillmor with wrongdoing while ignoring all of Gillmor’s wrong doing. You can present Vartan with a long list but he will shake his head and say its fake news. His loyalty goes deep and his ethics seems to have expired. Gillmor must have a better offer for him. And what good efforts has Gillmor made that has not damaged the city long term. That sounds like Kirk Vartan being the special advisor to the Mayor by being her public relations expert. Maybe he and the ethics expert Tom Shanks can investigate and explain how Gillmor’s wrongdoings are not violations of ethics. Vartan should sit down and think before he speaks and writes. Hey Vartan do you think Gillmor and Watanabe should be charged for leaks of the document you waive around like the New Testament or are they simply a different class that has no accountability or consequences. Your ethical compass must be broken if this Milestones really offended you that much because you are blinded to the unethical mastermind that has ruined this city for decades and it is not the 49ers.
Roger? Carolyn? Bueller?
Why are you such a coward “Roger?” I am very transparent, always sign my name, and speak candidly in public. What do you do? Make fairytale claims. Spew lie after lie.
You can’t face the facts…I speak fact. You speak baseless opinion. Note that you do not refute my statements; you simply bring up new baseless claims. I am very familiar with this technique. It’s called deflect and confuse…or in your case, deflect and distract. Say anything so as not to answer to the issues raised.
You are very knowledgeable, and that tells me you are well informed. That also tells me you are deliberately misleading the readers of this nonsense. But, it’s your echo chamber.
If you want to have a debate IN PUBLIC, I’m there. I’m OK to do it in a closed area live steaming if you don’t eat a crowd because you would be worried about being laughed off the stage.
Name the time and the place. I won’t hold my breath. I don’t read this much. As you can see, this is almost a week after your comments. I just wanted to see if anyone decided to respond. I don’t monitor this. If you want to get a hold of me, you know where to find me. I can’t contact you…I guess that is by design. Ball’s in your court.
Kirk, I am far from a coward. I simply know when there is no point in debating someone who appears unwilling to consider facts outside the Gillmor machine’s narrative.
You describe yourself on LinkedIn as a Special Advisor to the Mayor. That alone explains the bias reflected in your comments. I have no interest in debating someone who cannot separate fact from political loyalty. I also do not engage with people who are unstable and rely on browbeating, personal attacks and deflection instead of addressing the actual issues.
Miles Barber is entitled to his opinions, even if they offend Lisa Gillmor or her supporters. The accusation that he seeks to control others is classic projection. Gillmor has consistently sought to control the political narrative and influence nearly everything that happens in the city and city hall. If you disagree, how do you explain Gillmor and her allies repeatedly avoiding accountability when they appear to violate the law?
Miles publishes a respected newspaper. Until you have a publication with comparable credibility, your commentary remains opinion—just as mine is opinion. However, the difference is that I base my opinions on evidence and verifiable facts. Your platform consists of a blog, YouTube videos you co-host with conflicting ethics expert Tom Shanks, and articles from the San Francisco Chronicle, a Hearst-owned publication and we all know the history of Heart’s newspapers. All of those platforms also help promote your business, while you promote theirs.
Everything I have written in my letters to the editor and my public comments is supported by sources or by information that is readily available to anyone willing to look. I do not intentionally mislead readers or rely on political spin, unlike what I see from you, Jude Barry, and Lisa Gillmor. It does not take an engineer or a pizza owner to recognize the difference.
At some point, your loyalty to Lisa Gillmor may come at a cost, or you may eventually recognize what many people see as a culture of corruption surrounding her political operation. If neither happens, then people are entitled to question your own ethical judgment.
If anyone is deflecting, distracting, or acting as a public relations spokesperson for their boss, it is you, Kirk. No offense intended, but perhaps you should focus on your own work instead of serving as the Gillmor machine’s unofficial spokesperson.
You suggest that I would be laughed off the stage. I think the greater challenge for you is convincing people that you can speak independently when your close association with Mayor Gillmor is so well known. Just as you accuse the 49ers of controlling Councilmembers, many people could reasonably conclude that your public comments are driven by political loyalty rather than independent judgment.
For once, Kirk, stop acting as the Gillmor PR machine and engage the facts instead.