There was a time when the biggest campaign scandal in the City of Santa Clara was stealing campaign yard signs. Call the FBI! Call the CIA!
At least yard signs can be replaced.
But now the political shenanigans have moved from stealing signs to what appears to be intentional stalking of council member Kevin Park by former council member and political opponent Teresa O’Neill.
You might remember back in 2020 when Park first ran. He was inexperienced, basically unknown and picked to lose by a landslide. Instead, he won. O’Neill took another shot at Park and his council seat in 2024. Voters in the district didn’t like her any better then, either.
Now you would think, if you lost two elections, you would just go back to your normal home and work duties, and perhaps think about why you lost. (Hint: Perhaps Santa Clarans don’t like candidates using loopholes to get around city council term limits.)
However, that’s not the case with O’Neill.
Wherever Park goes, be it court hearings in his divorce case or community events, on official or personal business, Teresa O’Neill shows up. She follows him around town, snooping for ways to cause trouble for him, intruding herself into his family business and ginning up gossip. Who knows, maybe she’s searching his trash, too.
What, you ask? Why, you ask?
For that answer, you will need to ask O’Neill.
Like everyone, Park has his problems, and he appears to handle them just like most of us do: without O’Neill’s assistance. We all know how painful divorce can be, without having a political opponent tracking every act, action and appointment. It is just plain weird.
Maybe we now have a better grasp on why Park won and O’Neill did not. People want council representatives who are focused on city business, not personal revenge tours.
This isn’t about a piece of cardboard stuck in someone’s front yard. This involves real people, real families and real lives. Someone repeatedly intruding on another’s personal business crosses the line from political hardball into something disturbing.
The good news is that the family court judge kicked O’Neill out of the courtroom for ‘weaponizing’ the proceedings. Hopefully, O’Neill can find something better to do in retirement than haunt the city like the ghost of elections past.
Previous Milestones:
Milestones – Be Careful … – Opinion
Milestones – U R Manipulated – Opinion
Milestones – Now What? – Opinion
Milestones – Well Done Santa Clara – Opinion