If elected, Ginsborg said, he will push for more independent audits, reforms in the way board members are paid, retrofitting dams and removing mercury and other contaminants from local creeks and lakes. Ginsborg, 46, has served for five years as chairman of the oversight committee for the water district’s parcel tax.Ī Willow Glen resident and former Eagle Scout, Ginsborg worked for former San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales when he was a county supervisor, as well as U.S. The two most prominent candidates are deputy county assessor David Ginsborg and retired engineer Barbara Keegan, both Democrats. That seat was held by Joe Judge, who retired this year. In the other race, three candidates are seeking election for the District 2 seat, which includes Willow Glen, downtown San Jose and parts of Santa Clara. She has pushed back, noting that Kwok charged his Rotary Club dues to the district and voted for several of the controversial measures, including the Alviso gazebo.Ī third candidate, Mary Amanda McChesney, did not return calls. The mailer also criticized her acceptance of a large amount of unused sick time - $184,000, according to district records - when she retired in 2008 at age 54. But Hsueh has been stung by a mailer from Kwok that noted she is paid an annual pension of $133,000 from the water district and failed to vote in several recent elections.
Hsueh, 59, is a Democrat endorsed by former county supervisors including Sig Sanchez and Susie Wilson. “The board has not been effective for more than a decade.” “We need to bring integrity and public confidence back,” she said. She said her expertise in water projects will help rebuild aging pipes, levees and dams in a cost-efficient manner, but also will help restore the agency’s reputation. Hsueh rose through the ranks to become chief operating officer, supervising 200 people. Kwok’s primary challenger is Nai Hsueh, a Saratoga engineer who worked at the water district for 31 years. He said he also hopes to place a priority on seismic upgrades to Anderson Dam and other reservoirs, and expand the use of recycled water. Kwok, a Democrat who won election to the water board in 2008, said if he’s re-elected he wants to further cut the staff by 5-10 percent through attrition. That controversy led to the board forcing out CEO Stan Williams, and eventually Zlotnick’s job was eliminated. He was appointed to the water board in 2005 after former member Greg Zlotnick was given a newly created, $184,000 job at the district without it being advertised. Kwok, 71, is a civil engineer who worked 23 years at the San Jose wastewater plant and served on the Cupertino City Council from 2001 to 2007, including a stint as mayor. “It’s heading in the right direction, but there is still some work to do.”ĭistrict 5 includes Cupertino, Saratoga and parts of Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and West San Jose. “I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to help do,” said board member Patrick Kwok, of Cupertino, who is seeking re-election in District 5. Also, three new board members elected in 2010 - Linda LeZotte, Brian Schmidt and Don Gage - have worked to make changes. The district’s leaders say significant reforms have taken place under new CEO Beau Goldie, including reducing the number of jobs from 853 to 746, limiting practices such as paying employees for accumulated sick leave, and better oversight of projects. Among the issues: the seven-member board voting to spend $1.4 million to build a gazebo in Alviso board members charging softball games, interviews and visits to community festivals as “meetings,” reimbursable at $286 per event and a failed attempt last month to provide lifetime pension and health-care benefits for board members, who serve part time. In recent years, grand jury reports, media investigations and audits have criticized the agency for its rich staff benefits and salaries, mission creep and questionable spending. Among the largest government agencies in the county, the water wholesaler has a $285 million budget, funded mostly by water rates, parcel taxes and federal grants. The district is a government agency based in San Jose that provides drinking water and flood protection to 1.8 million people in Santa Clara County. Silicon Valley’s largest drinking-water provider faces a wide variety of challenges - from retrofitting aging dams to funding flood control projects from Palo Alto to San Jose to Morgan Hill.īut for the six candidates running to fill two seats on the board of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the issue most commonly mentioned is improving public trust.
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