Knife sharperner salesman Phil Dolan is one of seven candidates running in the San Jose City Council District 3 special election (Courtesy of Phil Dolan)
If the 2024 General Election was a referendum on the state of the country, Phil Dolan believes the District 3 special election offers the perfect opportunity for downtown residents to tell San Jose city leaders that “enough is enough.”
And, he believes it is time to put someone in charge — like him — that can move forward on issues most meaningful to them.
Dolan is unlike any other candidate appearing on the April 8 ballot, and not just because of his political leanings.
The 49-year-old knife sharpener salesman doesn’t hobnob with lobbyists or influential politicos or have the backing of any major business, labor or civic organizations. He is green to running a campaign, which most residents he encounters can tell from his straight-shooting delivery and unfiltered soundbites.
He views himself as the everyday man who can relate to the kitchen table issues at the top of most residents’ minds, which he says many politicians have failed to address adequately.
“I feel like people hear the bluntness and they hear the noise and are like, ‘This guy doesn’t care,’ but I care tremendously, probably more than anybody you know, and it actually hurts inside to watch the city burning and going down in flames and continuously going down the wrong path,” Dolan said. “What I’m seeing from my politicians is just a total lack of leadership, somebody afraid to put their foot down and say, ‘No, we can’t do that.’ There is no accountability in government.”
Dolan is one of seven candidates vying for the District 3 seat as San Jose looks to move past the child molestation scandal that has eroded public trust and prompted the resignation of disgraced former City Councilmember Omar Torres.
The other candidates in the race include:
Irene Smith, pro tem judge and the most recent political challenger to Torres
Retired law enforcement officer Adam Duran
Anthony Tordillos, an engineer at Google and chair of the city’s planning commission
Gabby Chavez-Lopez, executive director of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley
Matthew Quevedo, deputy chief of staff to San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan
Tyrone Wade, retired family counselor and former mayoral challenger
While he has worked primarily in sales and customer service-related jobs, Dolan said he has always had the itch to become more politically involved. He attempted a foray into local politics four years ago but missed the signature cutoff requirement.
Like many residents in District 3, frustrations in how San Jose has responded to the homelessness epidemic — which he said has trickled into negatively impacting other service areas — has become a driving force for his political activism.
Dolan said that taxpayer-funded options have failed, wasting hundreds of millions of dollars while making minimal to no impact on solving the problem.
Instead, he said the city needs to “cut the fat” because the status quo has enabled the unhoused to remain homeless and his idea of an effective solution is to “basically get rid of them.”
“Every day, I see the homeless living like pigs in a sty, and it’s utterly ridiculous how the city is spending money,” Dolan said. “Somebody has got to tell the homeless that you cannot live like that and if you don’t get connected to services, you’re leaving.”
Dolan also pointed to the hardline encampment ban temporarily enacted by Fremont that made it a crime to “aid or abet” homelessness as a potential framework for a policy he would like to see in San Jose.
Although he saw no issues with nonprofit providers trying to help homeless residents get back on their feet, he said he does not believe San Jose should have an open checkbook to keep throwing money at the problem because it has not shown fiscal responsibility.
His concerns with the financial resources committed to homelessness also extend to other parts of the city government as he called for the city to implement a blockchain-like system where residents can easily see each transaction and where each dollar goes in and out.
True to form, he unapologetically describes his trust of government as “believing that the stripper actually likes you.”
Dolan said increased transparency in budgeting would help improve trust and provide solutions to finding the money to fund services people want, like more public safety officers or servicing the parks, which currently face a more than half-billion dollar backlog.
For the parks the city cannot afford to maintain, he proposes building partnerships with groups like the Rotary Club to lease and operate them at a severe discount so they remain a community asset.
He referenced the 8-minute response time for top priority calls, which is still behind the city’s goals, as a sign that it needs to invest more in its public safety departments.
Dolan acknowledges that his direct approach is both a blessing and a curse because it leads people to misunderstand his intent.
Deep down, he said he wants San Jose to have the best schools and the cleanest streets and become the envy of the rest of the world.
Related Articles
Nearly a third of San Jose homeless have refused a new shelter site. The mayor wants to explore charging them with trespassing.
San Jose Giants ink deal to remain at Excite Ballpark until 2050
San Jose closing in on agreement with PG&E for improved infrastructure, service delivery
District 3 candidate Wade says he has plan to fix San Jose’s woes while everyone else has a “dream”
Letters: As San Jose schools close, convert them to homeless shelters
But, Dolan insists he would not be himself if he did not say the things other people were thinking but too afraid to say. After meeting District 3 residents, he is convinced the April election results will show that more people have come around to his way of thinking.
“I care about people and want to see them succeed, but it’s all about giving that tough love because if you just give things to people, they’re never going to go anywhere and want to improve their lives,” Dolan said.
