Mayor Al Pinheiro knows not to make plans on Monday nights. For
the last five years, he’s spent the majority of them at City Hall,
sorting through city issues with his six fellow council
members.
Mayor Al Pinheiro knows not to make plans on Monday nights. For the last five years, he’s spent the majority of them at City Hall, sorting through city issues with his six fellow council members.
“I made a commitment to this city and I’m going to do everything I can to follow through on that commitment,” Pinheiro said. “It’s my duty to try and make every meeting I possibly can.”
Pinheiro had perfect attendance, going to all 21 regularly scheduled 2008 Gilroy City Council meetings, as did Councilmen Peter Arellano and Craig Gartman. The council’s overall attendance was 95 percent, with Councilmen Bob Dillon and Perry Woodward missing only one meeting, and council members Dion Bracco and Cat Tucker missing only two meetings, according to meeting minutes.
School board trustees showed similar commitment, with an aggregate 95 percent attendance. By contrast, Morgan Hill’s school board had an 88 percent attendance record, though the city’s council had 95 percent attendance. The Santa Clara Valley Water District directors averaged 95 percent attendance throughout the year, and the Santa Clara County supervisors collectively attended 92 percent of their meetings, according to meeting minutes recorded by each agency. The Valley Transportation Authority board of directors, which is made up of appointed members who have been elected to other local positions, had a 2008 attendance record of 82 percent.
Meetings are important to council members and affect personal and business decisions. Though Bracco missed two meetings while vacationing in Hawaii, he tries to plan family holidays and vacations around meetings.
“It’s really important because things keep on going even if council members aren’t around,” he said. “Projects come before us and sometimes we’re working on something for months. If you miss one meeting, it throws you off and you’re not sure what’s going on. I think people expect us to be at all the meetings, be prepared and do our homework.”
Pinheiro remembered only missing one special meeting in September, called at the last minute. Despite his physical absence, Pinheiro phoned in from his post in Japan, where he was visiting Gilroy’s sister city, Takko-Machi, to celebrate their 20-year friendship.
Even business engagements come second to council commitments, Pinheiro said.
“Just like any other councilman, I have a full time job that pays the bills,” he said. “But sometimes I have to make sacrifices for the benefit of the city. That way, only I suffer. If I neglect my duties as the mayor, the whole city suffers.”
The Gilroy Unified School District Board of Trustees also claimed 95 percent attendance. Of 22 regularly scheduled meetings, Trustees Jaime Rosso and Javier Aguirre attended 20, Trustees Pat Midtgaard and Francisco Dominguez attended 21, and Trustees Denise Apuzzo, Tom Bundros and Rhoda Bress had perfect attendance, according to meeting minutes.
“It’s probably one of the most critical aspects of being a successful board member,” Bress said of her spotless attendance record. “We have a high volume of serious issues so attendance is vital. When you look at our agendas, it’s clear how many critical issues are discussed at every meeting.”
Bress agreed with Pinheiro that jobs and family events makes it difficult to attend every meeting.
“But I put attendance first,” she said. “It’s critical that we all show up to know what the issues are. It’s my responsibility to this community.”
Yet, there is a lot more to the job than simply showing up for meetings, council members and trustees said.
None of the five Santa Clara County supervisors had perfect attendance in 2008. Supervisors Blanca Alvarado and Liz Kniss each missed one of the 22 regularly scheduled 2008 meetings; Supervisor Pete McHugh missed two meetings; and Supervisor Ken Yeager missed three. The board of supervisors manages a $3.9 billion county budget and 15,000 employees.
Supervisor Don Gage, who represents South County, was absent for two meetings, both scheduled in March, due to surgery.
“I try to schedule everything around the meetings,” which are scheduled long before they occur, Gage said. “When I scheduled the surgery I made sure there weren’t any critical issues on the agenda, and nothing of importance to my district.”
Gage also serves on the VTA board, and missed two of its meetings this year – one in February and one in March.
The SCVWD board of directors had a busier schedule in 2008 with 48 meetings. Only one of the seven directors, Larry Wilson, has perfect attendance. Director Richard Santos missed one meeting; directors Sig Sanchez, Rosemary Kamei, and Patrick Kwok were each absent for three meetings; and Director Joe Judge missed five meetings.
Kamei, who is chair of the board and represents South County, said her absences were due to previously scheduled conflicts with her full-time job at Planned Parenthood. Board members typically give each other ample notice if they know they will be absent, including, in Kamei’s case, making sure that Sanchez, the board’s vice chair, will be present.
“For me board meetings are tremendously important. I do everything possible to be there,” Kamei said.
Sanchez said he was at funerals for two of his absences, but he could not remember why he missed a third meeting.
The VTA board only had a single perfect attendee, Forrest Williams, for 2008. Board member Yoriko Kishimoto missed one meeting; David Casas, Liz Kniss, Sam Liccardo, and Nancy Pyle each missed two; Chuck Reed and Dolly Sandoval each missed three; and Dominic Caserta missed four. Nora Campos, who was on maternity leave for much of the year, missed seven VTA meetings.
Besides being a part of board members’ public service, meeting attendance is also often tied to how much an elected official is paid. The VTA pays $100 for each meeting, up to a maximum of $500 per month and water district directors receive $260 per meeting, up to 10 meetings per month.
Gilroy trustees get a $240 stipend per month and medical benefits provided they attend meetings.
Gilroy council members get a maximum monthly stipend of $729 and the mayor can get up to $1,094 per month.
Staff Writer Michael Moore contributed to this story.
