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When the next mayor of San Jose takes office, he or she will have the luxury of appointing key players to positions of power. High-voltage posts such as mayoral chief of staff, city budget policy boss and vice mayor will be up for grabs. Then there are the traditionally more secure gigs, like city manager and city attorney. Those offices could see some changes too. Here, then, are a few possible behind-the-scenes scenarios--based, of course on wild speculation, shrewd political analyses and personal biases. Remember, true power sits not on top, but behind the throne. ... Let's start with the Tom McEnery-David Pandori-Pat Dando troika. One of them will surely run. And as their ties are close, there's some overlap regarding their appointees. If McEnery or Pandori wins, you may see a return of Greg Larson, the ex-deputy city manager and former McEnery administration staffer who departed for greener pastures in Arizona. With a little maneuvering, either one of these guys could bring Larson in as city manager. For chief of staff, McEnery might pull Sports Authority boss Dean Munro out of retirement. Same goes for Pandori, though Munro might not want to leave his cushy job (on the other hand, he may be bored). ... Tom, as well as Dando, might go with Pandori as city budget boss; the current holder of that job, Bob Brownstein, will likely get his walking papers if anyone but Councilmember Margie Fernandes gets elected. Either way, McEnery and Pandori would probably name Dando as vice mayor. ... If Dando succeeds, Pandori just might wind up as her chief of staff, if not in some other hotdog position. City manager, maybe? The two get along fine, and that could be his payoff for backing her in the race. She'd probably elevate loyal aide Erik Schoennauer to the Kevin Pursglove level as mayoral communicator, speechwriter and media massager. ... Frank Fiscalini, meanwhile, should be Dando's choice for vice mayor as he's the only virtual Republican on the council. ... Conversely, Dando could be Fiscalini's pick for vice mayor, if Frank runs and wins. But he also might appoint fellow Italian John Diquisto. He'll definitely pick Joe Guerra as his chief staffer, and probably a cabinet of others with names ending in vowels. ... Guerra, however, could also play a role in a Ron Gonzales administration. Ron will surely name Jude Barry as chief of staff--and he just might pick Guerra as city budget boss. Fernandes would likely be his pick as vice mayor ... And if Fernandes wins? She may just hang on to Susan Hammer's top aide, Gary Robinson.
Hysterical Preservation
In its inimitably independent style, the Redevelopment Agency is reportedly maneuvering to "acquire" the old and long vacant Studio Theatre on South First Street in downtown San Jose for the price tag of a half-million taxpayer dollars. And no one on the outside--including the SJ City Council--is exactly jumping for joy. ... Why the agency wants the Studio remains open to debate. Some insiders speculate that the agency doesn't want the theater to go the way of the former Pussycat, which evolved into F/X nightclub and most recently The Usual, as a cornerstone of the South First Street (SOFA) district. But Eye notes that Redevelopment's purchase of historic buildings seems to have a kiss-of-death quality to it. A quick scan of the agency's attempts at historical preservation--the Montgomery Theatre, the Twohy Building and the Fox Theatre, all of which have been sitting in limbo since the agency's financial interest--gives a whole new meaning to the concept of developmentally challenged.
Big Chill
In the cold realities department, the San Jose Downtown Association is suing Washington-based Dorothy Hamill Skating Centres for $90 grand over losses suffered at this winter's downtown ice skating rink, claiming that the organization of haircut and Olympic skating fame didn't provide for the capacities they promised in their contract. Hence, SJDA's revenues were "way off," according to somewhat frosted SJDA executive director Scott Knies. At issue in the suit is the size of the rink--which SJDA says allowed only half the number of skaters planned and budgeted for. Knies concedes the association expected to subsidize the event to the tune of about $50,000, in the name of bringing people into downtown during the busiest shopping weeks of the year. But with only half the capacity, the association lost closer to a chilly $120,000. Still, he notes philosophically, some 33,000 skaters took to the ice between Thanksgiving and Jan. 28 for the first time in the history of downtown. SJDA hopes the matter can be settled with a minimum of bitterness. "We'll do it again," Knies says. "From the public's point of view, it was a very successful thing."
Building Erection
Speaking of downtown, Alan Hess must have read Aaron Betsky's Building Sex--one of 1995's hottest architecture books--because the Merc's architecture critic certainly seems to have a hard-on for the new United Artists Cineplex in downtown San Jose. In last Sunday's Perceptive section, the normally mild-mannered Hess gushed that the new movie house is "exciting," "marvelous," "excellent," "dynamic" and a "good investment" He even claimed the boxy theater's location near the Pavilion is becoming a "power point." Huh? Judging from the beleaguered Pavilion's empty storefronts, that sounds more like wishful thinking than insightful commentary. Buried at the end of Hess' almost bawdy lovefest with UA was a lone sentence mentioning that the theater's stark walls facing First and Second streets "should have had more going on along them than exit doors." Now you're on to something, Alan. The noble Twohy Building next door now abuts an ugly cement-block facade that makes the city's other infamous eyesore--the prison-like Hilton Hotel--seem downright stylish by comparison. Not exactly what you hope to see on San Jose's showcase street, but it's what Eye has come to expect from Frank Taylor and the RDA.
Bill Me Later
Up the Peninsula, the Palo Alto Daily News appears to have a healthy sense of humor. The north county's newest publication reported recently that it had received a subscription solicitation from the newspaper trade mag News Ink. Unbeknownst to the magazine's circulation department, the complimentary issue that accompanied it contained a quote from a newspaper consultant predicting a short life for the Daily News. "In four months you'll read how they folded," said the consultant. Retorted the Daily News, "Who is going to read our subscription after we are gone?"
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From the Feb. 15-21, 1996 issue of Metro
Copyright © 1996 Metro Publishing and Virtual Valley, Inc.