Chavez Steps down as Labor Council’s CEO, Remains with Working Partnerships

Cindy Chavez is out as CEO of the South Bay Labor Council. End of an era? Not quite.

Chavez, who joined the SBLC in 2009 after an unsuccessful mayoral run and two terms on the San Jose City Council, will continue in the role of executive director of Working Partnerships, the think tank that helped organize the successful Measure D campaign and shares a building with SBLC.

The local daily has already championed the change, which has been in the works for a few months and will result in Chavez’s right-hand man, Ben Field, succeeding her in the role of CEO.

But according to one local political consultant, who spoke with San Jose Inside on the condition of anonymity, nothing is expected to change.

“I think it’s going to be one of the most seamless transitions anyone has seen,” said the source. “Her navigation with Ben—they certainly are a duo on the policy side. I don’t think you’re going to see a change in direction or tone, whatsoever.”

Of course, there is the distinct possibility that Chavez is simply taking a break after a year of intense campaigning so she’ll feel refreshed if/when Supervisor George Shirakawa is removed from office.

Josh Koehn is a former managing editor for San Jose Inside and Metro Silicon Valley.

One Comment

  1. As a point of interest, Cindy Chavez has my sympathy.  Here she is trying to manage Working Partnerships, and she is thrown into the political posture of being “the anti-Shirakawa” by Barbara Marshman in today’s Merc editorial.

    She’s been down this road before when she was politically defined by her connection with Mayor Ron Gonzales.

    Whatever you think of her policies (and I do not like her support for ultra-high & ultra-dense development with postage stamp mini-parks), she needs a break here from being locked into the success or failure of another local politician.

    Let’s give her some time to present her own policy initiatives before deciding her political plans for her.

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