It's OVER

Well, all the votes have been counted and we now have the results. Congratulations to everyone that won their race.

I am sorry to say that Dean Chu fell 233 votes short of being reelected. Dean was a very hard working councilmember and served the city on many different committees in the city, county, state and was even recently appointed to a committee on the National League of Cities. When asked to serve on a committee he was always ready to say yes. He was a good friend and I am proud to say I served as his Vice Mayor. I was able to see first hand what a strong leader he was. Dean I wish you the best my friend but for now sit back and relax for awhile. Then I hope to see you back on the council as soon as possible. Take care my friend.

Now we must get on with business. We have a lot of things to work on and finish before 2011. We'll be heading down to New Orleans to attend the NLC conference and build a house or two then we'll come back to finish out the year and look forward starting a new year.

For all of those that supported me by your votes I thank you. If you were supporting my opponent you need to contact me to see if we can now move forward. I have always had an open door policy and I'll keep this blog going for awhile if you'd like to send a comment or two.

For Sunnyvale, incumbents are the best choices

I am happy to add another endorsement to my list. This is what they had to say in the Mercury News Editorial.

Editorial: For Sunnyvale, incumbents are the best choices

Mercury News Editorial

The status quo appears to be the best course in Sunnyvale's city council election this year, despite aggressive grass-roots challenges by candidates with strong volunteer experience.
Incumbent Otto Lee is unopposed. We recommend Ron Swegles, Dean Chu and Melinda Hamilton for re-election Nov. 6.
They are opposed in turn by Dixie Carney, David Whittum and Patrick Meyering. But the biggest name in the election may be one not on the ballot: Risch, as in Tim, the former councilman, and Yolanda, his wife, who are supporting the challengers.
The Risches aim to be a political force, developing a Web site and campaign literature with attendance records and other material presented with an anti-establishment spin. Carney, Whittum and Meyering are walking precincts but raising little money to produce their own campaign materials.
Some criticisms of the current council are legitimate. Council members reduced - but failed to end - the generous medical insurance benefit that was an issue in the last council campaign. And they sometimes dither at meetings - wasting time, for example, on a bizarre seniority system that determines the order in which their names appear on letterhead.
Other complaints about incumbents are off-base, however.
For example, they've been criticized for agreeing to pay part of the cost of cleaning up an unknown amount of pollution under the Town Center site. But getting this project back on track, with a better design, was a major accomplishment - and no private developer agrees to an open-ended cost on a project involving public land.
Another accomplishment is the plan for a new, badly needed library for Sunnyvale. Developing that plan amid competing community interests was not easy, but the incumbents reached a good conclusion based on the long-term interests of the city. The financing plan for the library, a $108 million bond, also is on this ballot as Measure B, and it deserves voters' support.
Swegles, 63, and Chu, 51, have been hard-working council members, taking on city and regional issues - Swegles focusing on housing and Chu mainly on transportation. The experience and knowledge they've gained will make them more effective in a second term.
Hamilton, 36, has taken flak for two maternity leaves during her first term, missing 24 meetings. She could have done better, but she didn't check out entirely during those times, keeping up on major issues. And overall, she has proven to be an independent and sensible voice.
Of the challengers, Carney, 65, seems the least serious, not even posting information on the League of Women Voters' Smart Voter web site. Whittum, 46, and Meyering, 53, both declined to be interviewed but have extensive material online. They're clearly qualified, but we believe the incumbents will better serve Sunnyvale.

from San Jose Mercury News, Monday, October 29, 2007 – Commentary

Endorsersments

Here are a few of my Key Endorsements:
Anna Eshoo – US Congresswoman
Zoe Lofgren – US Congresswoman
Mike Honda – US Congressman
Elaine Alquist- State Senate
Sally Lieber- State Assembly
Larry Stone – County of Santa Clara Assessor
Don Gage- Santa Clara County Supervisor, Chair, District #1
Liz Kniss – Santa Clara County Supervisor, District #5
Pete McHugh – Santa Clara County Supervisor, District #3
Ken Yeager- Santa Clara County Supervisor, District #4
Sunnyvale Employees Association
Public Safty Officers Association
Communication Officers Association
Silicon Valley Association of Realtors
Santa Clara County Association of Realtors
California Apartment Association
Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Democratic Club
The Mercury News
The Sunnyvale Sun
D.A.W.N.
South Bay Labor Council
BAYMEC
Otto Lee – Mayor, City of Sunnyvale
Anthony “Tony” Spitaleri – Vice Mayor, City of Sunnyvale
John Howe – Sunnyvale City Councilmember
Dean Chu – Sunnyvale City Councilmember
Melinda Hamilton – Sunnyvale City Councilmember
David Cortese- Vice Mayor San Jose
Forrest Williams- San Jose City Councilmember
Judy Chirco- San Jose City Councilmember
Kansan Chu- San Jose City Councilmember
Nancy Pyle- San Jose City Councilmember
Nora Compos- San Jose City Councilmember
Laura Macias- Mayor Mountain View
Margaret Abe-Koga- Mountain View City Council
Nick Galiotto- Mountain View City Council
Matt Pear- Mountain View City Council
Daniel Furtado- Mayor Campbell
Donald R. Burr- Vice Mayor Campbell
Jane P. Kennedy- Councilmember Campbell
Evan Low- Councilmember Campbell
Leslie Brodbeck- Staff Member to State Assemblymember Sally Lieber.
Patricia Castillo- Former Mayor, City of Sunnyvale
Patricia Vorreiter – Former Mayor, City of Sunnyvale
Jack Walker – Former Mayor, City of Sunnyvale
Jim Roberts - Former Mayor, City of Sunnyvale
Dianne McKenna – Former Santa Clara County Supervisor & Mayor, of Sunnyvale
Rod Diridon, Jr. – City Clerk, City of Santa Clara
Howard Chuck – Sunnyvale Parks and Recreation Commission
Laura Babcock – Past Chair, Sunnyvale Planning Commission
David Simons- Past Chair, Sunnyvale Planning Commission
Nellie Durand – President, Sunnyvale AARP
Michaelena Hughes – President, Sunnyvale Seniors
Harvey Dixon – FormePresident, Sunnyvale Senior Golf Club
Peggy Yost – Former Chair, Housing & Human Services Commission
Bob Roberts – Former School Board Member, Sunnyvale Elementary School Board
Jim Rea – Former Chair, Sunnyvale Parks & Recreation Commission
Jeff Arnett – Former Chair, Sunnyvale Parks & Recreation Commission
Helen DeWolf – Former Member, Sunnyvale Parks & Recreation Commission
Barbara Waldman – Former Mayor, City of Sunnyvale
Jim Griffith-Chair of the Board of Library Trustees
Randy Okamura – Former School Board Member, Fremont Union High School Board
Marie Kuykendall – Sunnyvale Resident, Business Owner
Bob Lawson – Retired Attorney, Member of the Parks & Recreation Commission
Margaret Lawson – Sunnyvale Resident
Carlotta Castillo- Campaign Manager
JoAnn Barr- Sunnyvale Resident
Holly Lofgren- Sunnyvale Resident
Flo & Doug Stafford – Sunnyvale Residents, Business Owners
Ed Brugee – Sunnyvale Business Owner
Joe Antuzzi – Sunnyvale Business Owner
Steve & Angie Summers – Sunnyvale Business Owners
Vince Cala – Sunnyvale Business Owner
Fred Hill – Sunnyvale Business Owner
Paul Fong – Sunnyvale Business Owner
Thom Mayer – Chair, Sunnyvale Pedestrian/Bicycle Advisory Board
Linda Mayer – Sunnyvale Resident
Joe & Shirley Anderson – Sunnyvale Residents
Denny Stange – Sunnyvale Residents

EDITORIAL FROM THE SUNNYVALE SUN

Council incumbents have earned voters' confidence

The most remarkable feature of this year's campaign for four seats on the Sunnyvale City Council is how calm and civil it's been. Mayor Otto Lee is running unopposed, and the three incumbents--Dean Chu (Seat 4), Ron Swegles (Seat 6), and Melinda Hamilton (Seat 7)--are even endorsing each other.

Quite a change from campaigns past when races were just short of bloody combat.
But it's not just the welcome change of tone in today's council that prompts us to recommend the incumbents be returned to the council in the Nov. 6 election. A civil tone would mean little if this were a do-nothing council. It's not.

Although challengers--Dave Whittum (Seat 4), Pat Meyering (Seat 7) and Dixie Carney (Seat 6) would have you believe otherwise, the current council has made important strides to get the city headed in the right direction.

The town center is finally on track with construction now under way; citizen committees now participate in reviewing director hiring; noticing of council meetings has been improved with council agendas now posted four days prior to meetings--two days more than mandated by law. By the end of the year, video streaming of city council meetings will be available.

Oh, and the budget has been balanced.

The most controversial issue in this year's campaign appears to be the Mary Avenue Bridge. Challengers say it's a bad plan, and that the city needs to go back to the drawing board to find a better way to provide access to Moffett Park commercial complex. The three incumbents couldn't agree more. They say the plan was developed in the 1970s, and even if it made sense then, it doesn't necessarily make sense today. They are asking staff to rethink the bridge.

Arguably, the best decision the current council made in the past four years, however, was asking interim city manager Amy Chan to remove the "interim" from her title. Her inclusive and open style complements the approach of the council, and together, they are on track to return the city to its former glory days as the city President Clinton praised as the best -run city in the country.

For anyone who actually misses the bad old days of bloody city council races, the faint echo that can be heard in the distance is the sound of copy machines printing out so-called "fact sheets" attacking incumbents with misinformation and half-truths. Tim Risch and his wife, Yolanda, have created the fliers for challengers to distribute. Risch, a former council member who has lost two recent council bids, seems unwilling to accept defeat gracefully. Instead, he and his wife have made a career of trying to get even.

We think the best advice in this election, however, is the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Returning the three incumbents, Ron Swegles, Melinda Hamilton and Dean Chu, to the council on Nov. 6 is the right move for Sunnyvale

This was a story in the Sunnyvale Sun on 10/10/07

Incumbents say current council works together in positive way

By Cody Kraatz


Sunnyvale City Council members seeking re-election on Nov. 6 are supporting each other and feeling safe, while their challengers are running low-budget, door-to-door campaigns and saying they can turn the city in a different direction.

Whether a new direction is where voters want to go is the question.

The challengers say the current council made mistakes on the town center redevelopment, approved development away from transit corridors, mismanaged the city's finances, failed to stop a rise in crime and does not provide enough parks or street maintenance.

They say the Mary Avenue extension over Highway 101 and State Route 237 is outdated and should be scrapped for fresh alternatives.

The incumbents largely agree that the Mary Avenue plan should be re-evaluated and many in the community say that the town center project, long a contentious issue, is now on the right track.

Odd-year elections tend to favor incumbents because fewer people are expected to vote, and no incumbents are termed out.

"It's a different type of race this year because you've got incumbents, and usually when you've got a lot of incumbents you've got a much lower-key race," said Pat Castillo, a former Sunnyvale mayor and councilwoman, and now treasurer and board member of SUNPAC, a political action committee representing Sunnyvale businesses.

She and her group endorsed the incumbents and gave $2,500 to each of their campaigns, as well as $2,500 to support Measure B, a $108 million bond to build a new Sunnyvale Public Library.
"This council appears to have worked very well together," she said. With Sunnyvale's history on contentious council races, and councils that were highly divisive, some question whether the challengers could cooperate with the rest of the council if they are elected.

Supporters of the council point to two fliers circulated by Tim Risch, a former councilman and vice mayor, and his wife, Yolanda, as a hint of contention that could lead to greater controversy before election day.

The Risches are backing the challengers (Mayor Otto Lee is unopposed), claiming the council supports a poor fiscal policy. Tim Risch lost re-election bids to Melinda Hamilton, now facing attorney Pat Meyering for seat 7, in 2003, and in 2005 to Vice Mayor Tony Spitaleri.

In one flier, Tim Risch cites taxes to pay for the library that are hundreds of dollars higher than what the city stated in the impartial analysis. He says the city's assumptions are too optimistic.
Dave Whittum, challenging incumbent Dean Chu for seat 4, has been distributing this flier, and library bond supporters have told him that much of the information is inaccurate and will reflect poorly on him.

Barbara Fukumoto, a leader in the Sunnyvale Cool Cities Team, a Sierra Club global warming group, also confronted Whittum after the Oct. 2 forum on what he calls his "agnostic" climate change position. She also said that Whittum and Meyering's "overly aggressive" and critical styles are a turnoff.

Yolanda Risch is also passing out a flier detailing the current council's absences and late arrivals to meetings. Many say the chart is misleading because it does not explain the reasons for the absences, many of which were excused.

"I think it's been used as something of hit piece to people who are running for office right now," said Lee, who has teleconferenced and missed meetings because of personal, city and U.S. Naval Reserve travel.

Campaign financing

By the numbers, the incumbents come out ahead. Candidates reported on Sept. 22 their fundraising totals since July 1.

Hamilton has $22,365 on hand after raising $4,575 and loaning herself another $5,000. Meyering has $167 after raising $275 in three cash contributions, loaning himself $340 and spending $447.

Chu has $26,202 on hand after raising $9,649, much of it from business and development interests.

Meanwhile, Whittum has been walking door-to-door on the weekends and talking with voters. He has $300 to spend after collecting $286 in small donations, loaning himself $1,000 and spending about $1,000 on campaign materials.

Incumbent Ron Swegles, opposed by Sunnyvale Arts Commissioner Dixie Carney for seat 6, has the largest war chest with $27,248 after raising $7,648 from local businesses, developers and Sunnyvale Rotary connections. Carney did not report her fundraising efforts but has pledged to spend no more than $1,000.

Jim Griffith, an organizer of Yes on B and the Sunnyvale Board of Library Trustees chair, made donations to several of the incumbents.

"I've seen them cast difficult votes, and I've been really impressed by the thoughtfulness that they bring to the job," he said of Chu and Hamilton by e-mail. "Then I looked at their challengers, and they both struck me as combative, inexperienced and very negative people."

Public financing

Castillo of SUNPAC represents some of the developers working in Sunnyvale Money gets the message out, she said.

"It's an ear. You get your phone call answered in a more timely fashion," she said. "Nobody gets a commitment to a vote."

However, the council will reconsider the concept of public campaign financing early next year. Whittum and Meyering regularly point out that their opponents take donations from developers, implying that this influences their decisions.

The Public Safety Officers Association, is backing the incumbents, as is the Sunnyvale Employees Association, The incumbents have lists of endorsements from public officials and groups, but the challengers are not focused on endorsements, choosing to do their campaigning voter by voter on the city's streets.

Visit www.smartvoter.org/ca/scl for more information about the Nov. 6 election.

Here's my Grandson Jarrett, Daughter Shelley, Me, and Grandson Tyler

Troy with his Official Retirement Hat. His wife, Dawn, is on the left and his Sister, Shelley, is on his right cutting bread. Everyone loved his hat.

Some of the awards Troy received. He had two tables of awards.

Here's the 30 countries Troy visited. Hope you can read them

From Left to Right you have Jarrett, Mattea, Dawn, Troy and Tyler.

My Daughter-in-Law and Son at his Retirement Event

My Son Troy and I

My Son's Retirement

Okay, time to catch up. I spent a few days with my Son, Daughter-in-law, and Grand kids because my Son just retired from the Air Force after 22 years of service. If you have never been to a military retirement event you need to attend one. It's great to hear everything your Son or Daughter have done for our country. I'll be sure to add some pictures from the event so you can see some of the items and countries he visited. He and his family visited or were stationed in over 30 different countries. He received his promotions every time he was able to test for the new grade. He also received an Associate Degree and a Bachelors Degree while he was in service so he's now ready to go out into the world and make his mark. He currently has 2 offers. One from General Dynamics's and the other is from Sunnyvale's own Lockheed but in Huntsville not here.
:( So he's checking them both out and will decide what is the best for his family. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Ron

Chef Joe

Anderson's backyard all set up

Shirley working hard

Council Attendance

Some of you may have gotten a report from a Mrs. Yolanda Risch. I am responding to her report. Here's, as Paul Harvey would say, the Rest of the story.

HOW OFTEN IS YOUR FAVORITE SUNNYVALE
COUNCILMEMBER ABSENT FROM COUNCIL MEETINGS?
LIST OF ABSENCES AND LATNESSES TO COUNCIL MEETINGS (2003 TO 2007)
TC is Teleconference from personal vacations and trips, RD is Redevelopment Meet

RON

Tallies: Absent: 5 Meetings Late: 1 Meeting TC:0 Meetings

2007
01/09 Sacramento City business.
04/24 Air Force Space Command Commanders Group City Business.
4/10 Late. The minutes show that I was present for roll call

2006
01/24 in Washington D.C. at the Mayors Conference
06/01- This was not a Council meeting. It was interviews for Boards and Commissions. I was attending the mid-year Mayors Conference

2005
NONE

2004
12/07 I was attending a Baltic Countries Conference in London.

As you can see the only time I missed a meeting was when I attended an event as a
Representative of the city. As of this date I am happy to report that I have never used a PTO day

Wednesday

On Wednesday Joe and Shirley Anderson were kind enough to host a dinner at their home, with the help of their staff and friends, for members of the WMA. It was very well attended over 50 people joined us to discuss how we want to keep Mobilehome Living affordable. The bottom line was that everyone wanted to make sure we maintain our current communities and continue to replace older homes with new one. It is a life style and more enjoyable than having someone sharing a wall with you or having someone over head. The dinner and conversation were fantastic and Joe and Shirley did such a good job of preparing the meal that we didn't have much in the way of left overs. In fact that poor Joe didn't get a chance to eat because by the time he got into the kitchen there wasn't much left. Sorry Joe.

Ron signing autographs for children at a Project Help Class

U.S. NAVY RON

Ron gives Roses to Jan Sauer, Carlotta Castillo, Gail and Pat Castillo for always being willing to help

ViceMayor Tony Spitaleri & Ron

Ron Giving a Speech

RONS SPEECH

This is the long version of my Video speech. If you've seen my Video speech can you tell what I left out from this version?

HELLO,

MY NAME IS RON SWEGLES AND I’VE BEEN YOUR COUNCILMEMBER FOR THE PAST 4 YEARS IN SEAT #6.

LET’S TALK ABOUT WHATS BEEN GOING ON THESE PAST 4 YEARS.

WE HAVE SURE SEEN A LOT OF CHANGE. WHILE I WAS MAYOR WE GAVE NOTICE TO THE OLD DEVELOPER AND FOUND A NEW AND MORE COOPERTIVE DEVELOPER. WE FACED THE CHANGE HEAD ON. AS A COUNCIL WE HAD TO MAKE OTHER HARD CHOICES BUT WE MADE THEM AND NOW WE ARE MOVING FORWARD.
WE WILL SOON SEE A NEW AND IMPROVED DOWNTOWN AND IT IS ON ITS WAY TO BEING A REAL DOWNTOWN NOT A MALL. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU THAT GAVE US INPUT TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. WE LISTENED TO YOU AND ARE SURE THAT THE NEW PLANS WILL BE SOMETHING WE ALL CAN BE PROUD OF.

ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN OUR NEW DOWNTOWN IS TO HAVE SENIOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. I WILL WORK TOWARDS THAT END. WHAT BETTER PLACE FOR A SENIOR TO LIVE THAN A DOWNTOWN WHERE THEY CAN WALK TO DO THEIR GROCERY SHOPPING, GO TO A MOVIES, FIND RETAIL OUTLETS TO SHOP IN AND MANY RESTURANTS WITH IN WALKING DISTANCE.
WHAT WE HAVE NOW IS A WIN-WIN SOLUTION. THE NEW OWNERS IMPLEMENTED A PLAN WHERE EVERYONE’S VOICE WAS HEARD. THIS HAS BEEN AN ON-GOING ISSUE AND WE ARE HAPPY THAT WE ARE NOW SEEING PROGRESS.

ONE BIG THING WE CAN ALL DO IS TO CONTINUE TO “SHOP AND BUY IN SUNNYVALE.” THE MORE WE DO THIS THE MORE THE TAX DOLLARS WILL COME BACK TO THE CITY.
I AM GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEEK INPUT FROM YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS, WHERE I CAN HEAR YOUR POINTS OF VIEW AND LISTEN TO YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT ANYTHING GOING ON IN THE CITY OR THINGS YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DONE OR CHANGED.

WE HAVE MANY CHALLENGES THAT I WILL HAVE TO FACE IN THE NEXT 4 YEARS LIKE THE MARY OVERPASS, OUR WATER SUPPLY AND THE ONIZUKA AIR FORCE STATION TO NAME JUST A FEW. I WILL ADDRESS THESE HEAD ON AND MAKE SURE THAT I LISTEN TO ALL OF YOUR POINTS OF VIEW AND LOOK AT ALL OPTIONS BEFORE A DECISION IS MADE.

I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY YOU’VE GIVEN ME TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS WITH YOU. I FEEL THAT I AM QUALIFIED TO CONTINUE TO SERVE AS YOUR CITY COUNCILMEMBER BECAUSE.
I’VE SERVED AS YOUR MAYOR, VICE-MAYOR AND COUNCILMEMBER FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS.
I AM CURRENTLY SERVING YOU AND THE CITY OF SUNNYVALE AS WELL AS THE STATE ON THE FOLLOWING COMMITTIES:
· LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT POLICY COMMITTEE
· MILITARY AFFAIRS COUNCIL
· SANTA CLARA COUNTY HOUSING BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE
· BAY AREA WATER TRANSIT AUTHORITY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
· BAY AREA WATER SUPPLY & CONSERVATION AGENCY
· CHAIR OF THE ONIZUKA AIR FORCE STATION CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
· I SUPPORTED THE PARKINSON’S AWARENESS RESOLUTION AT THE U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS

· I’VE SERVED MY COUNTRY IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY, SUBMARINE SERVICE

· I AM THE FATHER OF TWO,
· THE STEPFATHER OF 3,
· THE GRANDFATHER OF 9
· THE GREAT-GRANDFATHER OF 1
· AND THE PROUD HUSBAND OF GAIL
AS YOU HAVE HEARD, I HAVE BEEN VERY ACTIVE ON MANY DIFFERENT COMMITTEES FOR THE CITY OF SUNNYVALE AND THE STATE. I HAVE ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.
MOREOVER I AM VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE ENDORSEMENTS OF MANY CURRENT AND FORMER COMMUNITY AND POLITICAL LEADERS. PLEASE CHECK OUT MY BLOG AT REELECTRON SWEGLES.BLOGSPOT.COM
I HAVE THE EXPERIENCE WE NEED…..AND THE LEADERSHIP YOU CAN TRUST!

HAVE A GOOD DAY TODAY AND A BETTER DAY TOMORROW AND REMEMBER TO VOTE FOR ME… RON SWEGLES SEAT #6.

Ron with some of his Grandchildren

Ron,Carmen and Larry Stone

Vince Cala Receiving The Mayor's Special Award