Four-term mayor Dennis Kennedy is looking forward to serving a
fifth, if voters give him the nod on Nov. 2, because he still has a
few goals to reach.
Four-term mayor Dennis Kennedy is looking forward to serving a fifth, if voters give him the nod on Nov. 2, because he still has a few goals to reach.
“We have to finish some projects – the indoor recreation center, the library – and celebrate our centennial (starting November 2005),” Kennedy said this week. “I also want us to apply to become an All American City and renew our vision for the future.”
The new City Council – and Kennedy if re-elected – will have to decide whether to ask voters to renew the Redevelopment Agency for a third time and consider what it would look like. Kennedy would like to see some changes.
“I favor an extension but smaller (than the current RDA cap of $147 million),” he said. “This one should include services, not just projects and the boundaries need to be redrawn to make more sense.”
RDA funds are collected from property taxes and used by the city to improve infrastructure to encourage business, build facilities and fund blight-removing projects. Kennedy favors public/private partnerships in operating some city facilities such as the outdoor sports center.
He joined the council in 1990, was named mayor in 1992 and first elected mayor in March 1997.
Kennedy said he brings years of experience and time to the job because he is retired from engineering jobs at IBM and Parson’s Corp.
“This is absolutely a full-time job,” he said. “I’m not saying it should be exclusively full time, but I’m able to do a better job.”
Because the job only pays $800 a month, it is not normally considered full time.
Kennedy said his style of leadership is thoughtful, deliberate and involves talking to many people.
“I don’t shoot from the hip, I’m not afraid to make decisions and I’m very considerate of public input,” he said.
He said he is doing everything possible to give Morgan Hill a say in the development of Coyote Valley, which would affect the area’s traffic, housing and air quality.
He is convinced that City Hall and the library will stay where they are for 40 or 50 years.
“It’s appropriate for them to be there (in a quiet, residential neighborhood).”
He’s also convinced that the city has the money necessary to do the indoor recreation center and library without using the remaining RDA funds.
Kennedy is a fan of downtown, favoring slowing down traffic on Monterey Road that could include narrowing the street to one lane each way.
“But it must be done in a way that works, diverting through traffic to Butterfield.”
Though the city has financial reserves that put it in better fiscal health than many others, it needs more revenue to continue present services.
More retail is needed, Kennedy said.
“We’ve had significant growth in our property tax base,” he said. “Our sales tax revenue is up for the first time in years, with Home Depot opening and Johnson Lumber/Ace Hardware expanding, plus more from Courtesy Chevrolet.”
The answer is to continue to build the economic base.
Kennedy would consider one more auto dealership next to Courtesy Chevrolet on East Dunne Avenue and Highway 101. He is convinced it could be added without imposing on a nearby neighborhood but is willing to look at other sites.
How to boost the budget in the meantime? Kennedy said he wouldn’t rule out asking voters to approve some small tax increases.
Talking about the recent scandal involving a private investigator following the city manager and Councilwoman Hedy Chang accusing the city manager and city attorney of having an affair – which they deny – Kennedy said he would welcome an investigation by the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury.
“This was a very tough issue to deal with,” he said. “We had to do what was in the best interest of city employees.”
Kennedy said he would not recommend going after Chang and her former attorney Bruce Tichinin to reimburse the city for the cost of the investigation and settlement with the city attorney, an amount that could reach $150,000.
“That would generate another lawsuit,” he said. “It’s time to cut our loses, move forward to deal with serious issues.”
Carol Holzgrafe covers City Hall for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at ch********@*************es.com or phoning (408) 779-4106 Ext. 201.
