One could call the new mayor of San Jose’s job akin to rolling a boulder up a hill for eternity.
“The truth is that there are needs and desires in our community that far outstrip the capacity of City Hall,” he said. “And when we attempt to solve every problem at once, the harsh reality is that we tend not to solve any of them.” When it comes to city cleanliness, Mahan wants to fill the vacancies among the city’s code enforcement officers to address a backlog of 4,000 complaints through its 311 app — and promises to revamp the service request system to make it more accessible for residents. He plans to organize regular trash clean-ups, tree planting and wall painting.
Wednesday’s inaugural address sought to also heal old wounds from November’s bitterly contested fight for the mayorship. Mahan noted that Chavez — who had been backed by labor interests — was in attendance at the inauguration — and said at a press conference earlier in the evening that the two had recently shared a dinner of ravioli at Original Joe’s on First St.
High school senior Keirah Chen, a resident of Mahan’s old District 10, interned for the mayor’s campaign. She says his message on homelessness is what pushed her to back him.