Reed makes first appearance since landslide victory in San Jose mayor's race

By Jason Bennert, Bay City News Service

November 9, 2006

SAN JOSE (BCN) - San Jose Mayor-elect Chuck Reed, in his first public appearance since his landslide win over Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez, said yesterday he plans to ask the City Council to consider his ethics reform package first thing in January.

Reed briefly addressed the weekly meeting of the San Jose Rotary Club, of which he is a member, and then took questions after the meeting from the large crowd of reporters in attendance.

"I think I have a lot of political capital,'' Reed said. "We'll take up the Reed Reforms'' in January.

The Reed Reforms are 34 items relating to increased public access and disclosure of city records and council decisions as well as other ethical reforms that Reed introduced in January and campaigned on throughout the year.

Reed defeated Chavez by 20 percentage points, receiving just below 60 percent of the vote compared to Chavez's 40 percent, according to unofficial totals from the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.

San Jose State University political science professor Larry Gerston spoke at the Rotary meeting and said Reed's victory was even more remarkable given his fundraising disadvantage.

"She outspent him two to one; that's amazing,'' Gerston said. Gerston attributed Reed's victory to three main factors: he framed the election early on as being about ethics and successfully tied Chavez to disgraced Mayor Ron Gonzales; he successfully portrayed himself as an outsider in a year when voters wanted to "throw the rascals out;'' and rank and-file union members apparently did not follow the directions of their leadership who were strong supporters of Chavez.

Reed said he met with City Manager Les White this morning and has already begun planning his transition. He has asked former Mayor Tom McEnery to be on his transition team. He also indicated that White, who has been serving as interim city manager since January, would remain city manager for the near future.

"It will be a decision for (White) when he wants to end this interim status,'' Reed said.

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