I am running for City Council because I want to preserve our quality of life in Sunnyvale and I believe that incumbents are not focused on meeting the needs of residents.

Over the past four years, Sunnyvale has fallen from 5th safest City in the nation to 38th; while spending on public safety has increased nearly 25%.  Burglary is up 40% since 2003. Auto thefts are up 70%. Meanwhile, my opponent, in our debate last month, surmised that crime had actually dropped. Our quality of life is in jeopardy because incumbents are not paying attention to the details.

We need to understand why crime is up and address the issues, like neighborhood cohesion. The City must nurture neighborhood associations in distressed areas, where initiative is lowest, and where the neighborhood resource officer role over time may reduce the costs of penal code enforcement. We need neighborhood parks where neighbors can meet each other, and begin to develop familiarity with the people in their neighborhood, and eyes on the street. We need a park within walking distance of every residential neighborhood.

We need accountability, a Council that takes responsibility for oversight of the City government, and reads the documents it approves, like the budget, and environmental impact reports.  We need a sense of proportion. A management salary of 230k$ is excessive when it comes with a 20k$ bonus, lifetime medical benefits and a car allowance. A post-budget 6.5% pay-raise for all managers is over the top. And, our City Manager should live here in Sunnyvale and not in Palo Alto.

We need open government --- to end the numbered seat system that deprives voters of choice, to register paid lobbyists, and  to require that campaign contributions be disclosed online. Voters need to know that incumbents have taken thousands of dollars from developers, and they need to be able to see it with a point and click of their web browser.

We need more affordable senior housing so that seniors may continue to live independently as long as possible near their working families. We should aim to make Sunnyvale a magnet for those with special accessibility needs. City Hall should be vigilant and attentive to the needs of seniors and the disabled realizing that life is hard enough without getting the run-around on public works needed to get through the day.

We need to hold the line on taxes. My opponent supported four tax measures in four years, including a failed ½% increase in the sales tax. He voted for lifetime medical benefits for himself. If elected, I will put an end to those perks. I will oppose any increase in sales tax.

We need to limit dense development to transit corridors, where it can serve as an adjunct to reduction of emissions. We need to make sure that transit oriented development has amenities (parks & rec, daily grocery needs) within walking distance, so that folks can avoid the extra car, and in this way avoid more traffic and emissions.

As to the Mary Avenue Overcrossing study, which my opponent voted 1/2M$ for, we need to focus on an alternative that addresses the community’s concerns without significant impacts to our neighborhoods, or terminate this project.

These are only common sense ideas, but we need to return to a time when our City used its common sense, listened and acted quickly and efficiently, and was one of the best-run Cities in the U.S.

As a leader of the Heritage District Neighborhood Association since 2004 I have had to fight hard for common sense improvements in the downtown that have benefited all residents, including the W. Hendy Caltrain ramp, and the Mathilda Overcrossing Project.

As a veteran who served on active duty for training during the time of the first Gulf war, I know that leadership is the key to achieving results and meeting the needs of our City. I will put the public first in our public offices, and set the example we need to inspire a sense of urgency in City Hall.

Please look over these web pages and contact me to let me know your comments and concerns. My email is dwhittum@yahoo.com, and my phone is w:(650)906-7681. To see more of the November 6 ballot, click through to the smart voter page.