Tim Devitt: the outsider Tim Devitt: the outsider (October 18, 2002)

By Candice Shih

When Timothy Devitt decided that government in Mountain View needs to be reduced, he resolved to try to join it.

Devitt, 38, said he was motivated to run for city council after "hanging out with people who bash Mountain View." Now a seven-year resident of the city, he said its image is tarnished and he wants to bring its politics back to reality.

Devitt wants to see council members make decisions that are honest, and he is skeptical that that can happen when there is infighting or ambitions for higher political office.

He said that, consequently, some voters will be drawn to him because he has no political experience. In addition, because he owns no property or business, he said he cannot be swayed.

"If people did what I do, we'd have less people running for personal reasons," he said.

Despite having kept out of city politics, he has been paying attention to some issues in Mountain View.

He is most frustrated with what he sees as excessive waste in city government. For example, Devitt said he would limit the number of people employed by the city.

"We don't need more police officers," he said. "We're a fairly crime-free city."

He added that he is not convinced that public works money is being spent wisely and that he does not want his tax dollars to go toward the pensions of retired public safety personnel.

Devitt also considers public transit works, such as the downtown transit center, a waste of the city's money. He personally believes that getting people out of their cars is futile and would never take public transportation himself to save money.

In contrast, he is a strong proponent of historic preservation and said the money ($1.2 million) spent to restore the Adobe Building was money well used. "It's far more important than someone's pocketbook" Devitt said.

But he remains cautious on new housing developments. In fact, he believes that there is already too much housing in Mountain View. "Nothing says that people have to live in the city they work in," he said.

Devitt is similarly conservative when it comes to downtown developments, too. He would be in favor of limiting the size of buildings and said that parking garages are eyesores.

"We lose sight of being a small city," he said. "Aesthetics are more important right now."

Devitt, currently unemployed, has worked in the furniture and construction industries and as a teacher's aide. He grew up in a military family and lived in several places in the U.S. as well as Japan. He has also served in the military himself and attended college for six years.

"I'm sure I'm going to upset some people," Devitt admitted. "I'm on a double-edged sword here."
Favorite book(s): "The Prince" by Machiavelli, the works of Immanuel Kant and the biography of Jerry Garcia.

E-mail Candice Shih at cshih@mv-voice.com