When will we see where each stands on the issues and what they think is most important to the local electorate?

Kasperzak's record speaks loud and clear: He has consistently favored developers over residents. He is quite simply awed by big money, and wants to hang with the "movers and shakers." I need to know more about the other candidates, but I'm absolutely sure about this one. He has not represented me well.

I just got a fundraising email from Mike Kasperzak. Apparently, I’m on his list because I sent him a comment on a city council issue a couple of years back. He seems to have harvested - er, saved - my email address for future use.

Mike’s email starts like this:

“Dear Friend -

“Can you believe how quickly 2015 went by? We are only two days away from the new year, and as 2015 comes to a close, my campaign faces our last fundraising deadline of the year on December 31st.

“I’m not the establishment candidate in this race, so I’m relying on friends and family...”

My reaction: Wow. “Not the establishment candidate”?

That depends on how you define “establishment”, I guess. He’s been on the MV city council for 14 years, and has made some rich and influential friends.

About the fundraising appeal - He’s “relying on friends and family”? That depends on how you define “friends”. Mike’s had quite a bit of financial support over the years from developers like Prometheus. I’m certain he can rely on them this time, too.

Mike has been a consistent friend to developers. His vision for Mountain View can be seen in the 7-story apartment buildings that will be permitted by the city council’s recent rezoning of San Antonio and El Camino.

I’m not comfortable with Mike’s record, or with his friends, or with his vision of Mountain View’s future. I sincerely hope he does not go on to higher office.

Yes, this "harvesting" of email addresses (of people who ever communicated with Mike Kaperzak), handing them off wholesale to a mailing list service for automated UNSOLICITED begging messages -- not inquiring first if the recipient is interested in such emails or not, which is no different from any spammer -- is the most conspicuous part of the campaign so far, to those of us who've seen the messages.

Frankly, it's weird. It doesn't start off this campaign on the classiest or most positive possible note.