Last week at San Jose City Hall, the mayor and city council held a pair of special meetings to make appointments to two vacant council seats. Political observers throughout the city rightly saw the appointments as the first big tests of Mayor Mahan‘s administration – would he be able to cobble together the necessary votes to appoint much needed allies to the vacant seats?
After three rounds of voting Tuesday night, the answer became starkly clear, as Mahan lost the appointment vote in catastrophic fashion. By the third and final round of voting, in which he lost 7-2, Mahan appeared dejected, frustrated even by his own inability to lead the council at such a pivotal moment.
Thursday’s appointment vote offered Mahan a second chance to exert his newly acquired influence. And yet again, he struggled to amass a majority of votes to appoint an experienced political ally to the council.
Taken together, the votes represent the staggering political vulnerability San Jose’s new mayor faces, an unprecedented challenge that will continue to hinder his ability to lead the city forward.
Mahan campaigned for mayor promising voters a “revolution of common sense“. But after a dramatic week where Mahan repeatedly failed to win the support of a council majority, it’s unclear when, or even if, the revolution will begin.
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