In the November race to replace Don Gage as our representative
on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors for District 1,
there’s not a shred of doubt about the choice: Mike Wasserman is
the best man for the job.
In the November race to replace Don Gage as our representative on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors for District 1, there’s not a shred of doubt about the choice: Mike Wasserman is the best man for the job.
He is everything his opponent, Forrest Williams, is not. The contrast could hardly be more pronounced. Wasserman does not answer questions in platitudes. Wasserman is not beholden to union money. Wasserman is not tied indelibly to the San Jose power structure – the people who treat Gilroy and Morgan Hill as unwanted stepchildren. Wasserman is not someone who pads his resume by overstating his role as Williams did regarding the widening of U.S. 101.
Wasserman is a down-to-earth small businessman who got elected to the Los Gatos City Council, became the town’s mayor twice and did an outstanding job at it. That’s why he earned the most votes ever – 8,582 votes – in a Los Gatos election. He has also earned the respect of his fellow representatives, the Los Gatos city staff and a ringing endorsement from Gage. He earned it through hard work, thoughtful approaches to solving challenges and an understanding that fiscal restraint is an attribute that should be practiced by anyone in charge of spending the people’s money.
Mike Wasserman is not so much a politician as he is an “everyman.”
In interviews, he delivers cordial, clear and thoughtful answers. His track record in Los Gatos is solid. Despite difficult economic times, Los Gatos is building a new library (about $18 million) and has a new police station ($7 million). That indicates leadership. So does his thoughtfulness on issues related to the economy. He knows well from meeting and listening to people that the county planning procedures are an unmitigated disaster.
Streamlining the permitting process and working toward making the planning process friendly, as opposed to confrontational, are on his short list. That’s a critical issue for District 1, which dwarfs the other four county districts geographically. In District 1, land use issues are king – and queen.
Wasserman is the best candidate for these difficult times. He’s a Certified Financial Planner. That only augments his background in commercial real estate. His venture into owning a baseball card shop is a bit of icing on the experience cake.
All that experience adds up to give Mike Wasserman the type of perspective that will make him an outstanding representative for South County and a valued leader in our county. The choice is clear: Wasserman for supervisor.
