San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan appears to want first-term Councilmember Rosemary Kamei as his vice mayor.
Mahan is set to pick Kamei, 63, to be his second in command in an attempt to bridge the political divides on the San Jose City Council, a source told San José Spotlight.
Governing in San Jose can be split between a more labor-leaning, progressive faction and one that’s more business focused, which leans toward loosening rules on development and business taxes. Mahan, who typically aligns with business interests, starts his two-year term with a labor majority that may hinder his ability to pass policies.
Kamei, who won her District 1 election outright in June, fills the West San Jose seat of termed-out Vice Mayor Chappie Jones. She has served the public for more than 30 years in Santa Clara County. Her representation includes a seat as a Valley Water director, Morgan Hill planning commissioner and more recently on the Santa Clara County Board of Education. She did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kamei considers herself a more moderate politician, who does not lean heavily on the labor or business side of the council. While she had support from former Mayor Sam Liccardo and the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors, the rest of her endorsements in the campaign, like the South Bay Labor Council and Congressman Ro Khanna, suggest she may be more sympathetic to progressive policies.
She, along with many of the councilmembers, were financially supported by the South Bay Labor Council—the same organization that spent more than $5 million to ensure Mahan did not win the mayoral seat. But because of Kamei’s wide range of endorsements and whopping win in the primary election, she has the ability to be more independent, political observer Terry Christensen said.
For that reason, Christensen believes it’s an unusual, but smart move to pick Kamei.
“The vice mayor pick is always a political decision. Mayors may use their nomination to win friends, allies or maybe to promote an ally,” Christensen told San Jose Spotlight. “Winning an ally seems to be more the case here.”
The mayor can choose the vice mayor, along with who chairs and sits on various city committees like the Rules and Open Government Committee, which sets the city council’s agendas. But the full council needs to vote to approve those choices on Tuesday.
Mahan is set to release his list of appointments before the weekend.
He enters his two-year term facing an uphill battle, where nearly all his council colleagues supported his opponent in the mayor’s race. Many of the councilmembers also did not vote alongside him at the end of the year when the council voted to fill two council seats by appointment instead of a special election—highlighting challenges Mahan may have moving his policies forward.
Christensen said committee appointments may be an “olive branch” that can build better relationships with the council moving forward.
“Committee appointments are a really crucial way to build relationships, so (his picks could be) a gesture in that direction,” Christensen said.
Contact Jana Kadah at [email protected] or @Jana_Kadah on Twitter.
