San Jose Mercury News endorses Patricia "Trish" Dixon.

By Patricia "Trish" Dixon

From a little field, we recommend another four-year term for council incumbents Bob Livengood and Patricia "Trish" Dixon. Dixon, who helps run the non-profit Milpitas Foundation for Education, has shown a commitment to improving schools and community. She merits a second term.

EDITORIAL

The opinion of the Mercury News Manayan, Dixon, Livengood are top candidates in Milpitas

OUT of character, the Milpitas elections two years ago got contentious. Candidates wrestled over a ballot proposal to shield the hillsides from urban sprawl -- the toughest such measure in the South Bay. Voters settled the controversy by opting to keep the space open. Normalcy has returned to city politics. But Milpitas could use an injection of fresh talent with the experience and energy to lead this growing, diverse town that bills itself as "the Gateway to Silicon Valley." That will have to wait. No significant policy concerns divide the three candidates running for two City Council seats. Each gives a nod to the challenges facing Milpitas: transportation (all support extending BART), housing (all want to add more affordable units) and the library (all favor building a new one). From a little field, we recommend another four-year term for council incumbents Bob Livengood and Patricia "Trish" Dixon. Dixon, who helps run the non-profit Milpitas Foundation for Education, has shown a commitment to improving schools and community. She merits a second term. Livengood virtually has become a permanent face around City Hall: He's served as an able council member or mayor for two decades. However, his work as an unpaid reserve police officer in Milpitas troubles us. He's made an effort to brush aside criticisms of his dual roles, but we're not completely convinced. He should stop the volunteer policing. We might suggest it's time for a change -- but we can't recommend the third candidate, Noella Tabladillo. Her full-time day job could present an even bigger conflict with work on the City Council than Livengood's police duties. Tabladillo is a senior policy aide for Santa Clara County Supervisor Pete McHugh, the former Milpitas mayor who represents the city and part of San Jose on the county board. The goals of city and county don't always coincide. Milpitas shouldn't have a council member worried about whether votes on city issues might offend her boss, who's elected by and beholden to a broader constituency. Tabladillo cites precedent in Gilroy, where Councilman Roland Velasco works for county supervisor and former Gilroy mayor Don Gage. We don't think that's a good idea either and did not recommend Velasco for office. ...