The View from the 18th - Anthony Gill
Above: City Hall includes an 18-story tower among other buildings in the complex. This is the view out of the window near the staff elevators onto the SJSU campus.
The view from San José City Hall, and from the windows that are just steps from my desk outside of the mayor's office on the 18th floor, is a beautiful one, especially in clear weather. But even when the skies are not clear, the sun isn't visible, and the rain pours down, creating tiny droplets streaming gently with gravity along the crystal-clear glass windows, the view is pretty breathtaking. From the top of City Hall, you can see a lot of the city.
Similarly, from the top of the city, you start to get a sense of what's going on in local politics. Councilmembers badge into the office and walk by your desk, glancing your way and saying hello as they increase the length of their stride. Important people wait for meetings with Mayor Liccardo just ten feet from your desk. And staffers discuss important policy initiatives with an unbridled energy. It's almost as breathtaking as the view from the window.
Policy Team meetings summarize the staff's work for the week in preparation for the next City Council Meeting. San José operates under the Council-Manager form of local government, which is atypical for a city of its size. Under this system, a City Manager runs most departments, with the Mayor relegated to a mostly legislative role. Understanding that distinction is key to understanding how the Mayor's Office operates. We can't dictate policy actions or regulations. But we can move the agenda, and that's something that the team has done a wonderful job in advancing.
My work, and the work of the entire Communications Team, is simple: communicate the Mayor's message to the public. So far, I've done this in so many ways--responding to constituent mail, researching media coverage, writing copy for the mayor's website, among other tasks. But the core remains the same. How can we talk about the Mayor's accomplishments, and about his agenda? How can we drive the discussion, rather than being the discussion?
I'm very privileged to have the opportunity to intern at the Office of Mayor Sam Liccardo through NPI. Getting to see the inner workings of local government, an issue about which I am particularly passionate, and having the opportunity to learn among the best and the brightest mayoral staff could not be a more perfect way to lean into my senior year. And I'm reminded every day of these blessings by the view out of the 18th floor window.