“Every time I try to get out they pull me back in.”  So said Al Pacino playing the aging Michael Corleone while chewing all the scenery he could reach in Godfather Part III.

Move over, Al.

I was excited when I heard that Mayor Ron Gonzales was headed to Spring Training to make his case to Major League Baseball this weekend that San Jose is a major league city.  Then, I went to his website and … gulp … saw the photos.

Some Attendees Literally Bored To Death

In an effort to save hundreds of South Bay lives, the County Supervisors voted unanimously to spend $569,000 to install safety padding in the Supervisors’ Chambers.

The 2006 Mayor’s race is shaping up as a strong assault on the current administration of Ron Gonzales by Chuck Reed and the other announced candidate, Dave Cortese. In stark contrast to most of the recent elections for Mayor, it is clear that this race will be a referendum on the Gonzales style and substance, and few punches will be pulled by Reed or Cortese.

Will Los Angeles elect a mayor whose name will be regularly misspelled by school kids, news reporters, and, heaven forbid, bloggers?  Antonio Villaraigosa—yes, correct spelling—could become California’s most notable Latino politician in May.  For a sense of his challenge, let’s jump in our blogospheric time machine and go back to San Jose, 1998.

“Gesture Necessary to Cover Monthly Nut,” Explains City Manager

In an effort to follow their own “cost-recoupment” policies, the City Manager’s office was forced to direct union workers on the new City Hall project to “stop everything,” and focus all manpower on the installation of 527 state-of-the-art French toll-machines at every office and conference room.

As I watch the discussion and debate about the new policy for increasing the allowable uses in North San Jose and the creation of the “new town” in Coyote Valley, it reminds me of the old carnival shell game – switch them around and find the real downtown. These developments may or may not be in the best interest of our citizens, but the final decisions on them will inform much of our future evolution and possibly elect the next mayor.

You take lethargic leadership, add uninspired vision, mix with low key personality, and throw in a couple city hall ethics scandals.  Then, you stir with an election.  What do you get:  a mayor on the verge of losing his job.

“We CAN Carry San Francisco’s Jock!” Thousands Chant

In response to the debate regarding San Jose’s “greatness,” started by sanjoseinside.com bloggers and picked up by the San Jose Mercury News tens of thousands of people gathered at Taco Bell on Bascom Ave. to dispel the rumors of the city’s inadequacies.

I took my semi-regular turn on the Ronn Owens show on KGO yesterday, and along with the usual talk of the Sharks, BART, and various other San Jose issues, the suitability of the San Jose motto reared its dubious head.

The last time the founder of Craig’s List visited San Jose was over 2 years ago to attend a science fiction convention.  Conclusion:  if San Franciscan Craig Newmark won’t drive an hour South more frequently than that, we need more things to do in San Jose to attract nerds.  Note to Convention Center boss Dan Fenton:  call the Star Trek convention organizers.

It seems that many people enjoy discussing the relative merits of San Jose as a city of significance. While I personally dislike the word, “great” and never used it in my time as Mayor, I’ll play along for a while.

Too Busy Dealing With Goat Ordinance

VTA Board of Directors Alternate and Morgan Hill Mayor Dennis Kennedy offered up a rare apology after verbally assaulting the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group over a letter they sent urging his support for the Silicon Valley BART extension.

It is always a good thing to step back from the fray – and the madness of crowds or media – and look at the place where we live.

Governing Magazine just published a management report card on the fifty states.  For California, there’s good news and bad news.  First, the bad news:  we get a C minus—tied with Alabama for worst in the class.  Now, the good news: when we order double lattes at Starbucks in this state, we don’t get asked, “shall I leave some room for grits?” Joking aside, this is not a report card you want to bring home to mom and dad, Governor Schwarzenegger.

Temporary Stadium Proposed

During a press conference late Thursday night, a mere week after his State of the City Speech, Mayor Gonzales finally released details for his plan to bring Major League Baseball to San Jose.