Editorial Editorial (October 22, 2004)

Ayala for mayor; Thorne, McGovern for City Council

Among the three candidates for mayor and another three seeking election to two seats on the City Council, we recommend Councilwoman Kay Ayala for Mayor and long-time school board trustee Cindy McGovern and Parks and Recreation Commissioner Jerry Thorne for council. All three have the seasoned and successful experience in serving Pleasanton that will be vital in this transition period when we have a new city manager, the critical post of Planning Director still unfilled and the city's veteran Principal Planner on land use leaving. As the city nears buildout toward its 29,000-unit housing cap and with a jittery business community that sees 1 million square feet of vacant office space in Hacienda and the possibility of a buyout of the city's largest employer PeopleSoft, we need a mayor who is politically independent, works closely with business and economic development organizations, and is well-known and respected locally, regionally and in state committees where she represents Pleasanton interests. Kay Ayala is that candidate.

Ayala began her city service as a member of a citizens committee that helped draft the 1996 General Plan, giving her a head start in completing work on a new, revised General Plan that is woefully behind schedule. She helped block San Francisco from building 1,900 homes on the Bernal property, and then worked with a developer coalition that bought the 510-acre parcel and gave the city 318 acres free of charge for public use. A vigilant watchdog of public funds, Ayala was on a regional liaison committee that completed the $120 million new sewer pipeline to the Bay well under budget. She has also objected to municipal payroll and benefit increases that she believes outpace the private sector, and serves with Pleasanton's unified school district officials to boost more joint projects that can save taxpayer dollars.

McGovern, who was the Pleasanton Weekly's "Woman of the Year" two years ago, is now our choice for City Council. Elected to the school board, where she served for the last 10 years, her involvement in civic and community affairs dates back 25 years. She founded the Youth Master Plan, whose work now guides youth activities, services and facilities, and her work on school sites for the last two decades makes her one of the best known activists in town. On the council, she would bring a background of youth advocacy and experience others simply don't have.

We also support Jerry Thorne for council. A recently retired Fortune 100 company executive, Thorne would bring a corporate perspective to the council that would borrow heavily from his experience in corporate planning, human resources, goal-setting and performance accountability. His work on the Parks and Recreation Commission, as president of the Pleasanton Seahawks swimming team, chairman of the Bernal Property Community Task Force and advocate for lighted sports fields and more parkland, will make him a valuable resource on issues affecting a large part of Pleasanton.

The current council, where Mayor Tom Pico and Matt Campbell have chosen not to seek re-election, has a cumulative service record of 32 years. Without Ayala, the next council would have just four. This is also the first time anyone can remember when there have been no incumbents seeking re-election to the Pleasanton City Council, which is why we need the experience and qualifications that Kay Ayala can bring as Mayor, and Cindy McGovern and Jerry Thorne as new members of the City Council.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.