Vice Mayor Joe Pirzynski

Biography

 

Joe Pirzynski was first elected to Town Council in 1998 and served as Mayor in 2000/01. Joe was reelected to Council for a second term in 2002 and for a third term in 2006.  Joe was appointed as Mayor a second time in 2006/07.

 

Joe is an educator and psychotherapist by profession, and has served in both fields for almost 40 years. Joe recently retired from teaching psychology and serving as Director of Counseling Services at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose. He has previously taught graduate counseling classes at San Jose State University and Santa Clara University. He is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice with Affiliated Therapists of Los Gatos. He holds a Masters Degree in Counseling from San Jose State University.

 

A Los Gatos resident and homeowner since 1974, Joe is married to Pamela, a neonatal intensive care nurse at Kaiser Hospital in Santa Clara . His daughter Danielle is a 6th grade teacher in Mill Valley and son Bryan is an Executive Chef in Florida.

 

Community Involvement

Joe has an impressive resume of accomplishments for his three decades of involvement in the Los Gatos community

  • Named "Best Council Person" by the Los Gatos Weekly Times for 2000 and 2001.
  • Founder and Former Commander of the Los Gatos Disaster Aid Response Team.
  • Former Member of the Board of Directors of the Los Gatos Community Foundation
  • Former Member of the Los Gatos Planning Commission
  • Los Gatos Representative to the League of California Cities Peninsula Division
  • Los Gatos Representative to the Santa Clara County Cities Association
  • Former President of the Cities Association Board
  • Former Chairman of the Valley Transportation Authority Board of Directors 

 

Effective Council Leadership

 

In his tenure on Council, Joe has been instrumental in an impressive array of accomplishments for the enhancement of the Los Gatos community:

  • The establishment of the Town 4th of July celebration, the Los Gatos Film Festival, Leadership Los Gatos, the Town Community Calendar, Town of Los Gatos Vista community newsletter, all leading toward a greater sense of community.
  • The appointment of a Senior Coordinator and a Case Manager, initiating a program to establish a full services and involvement for Town seniors.
  • A renewed emphasis on traffic safety by increasing the number of LGMSPD traffic officers fourfold and Town involvement in "Safe Routes to School" program.
  • The initiation of an effective residential traffic calming program in numerous Town neighborhoods, with more in the pipeline for attention in the near future
  • The rehabilitation of streets and sidewalks throughout the Town fast-tracked for completion of enhanced roadways.
  • The renovation of Town Plaza Park, and streetscape enhancements to Santa Cruz Avenue and Main Street.
  • The increase in downtown parking capacity by creation of new parking zones and additional parking spaces through use of the Verizon parking lot.
  • The completion of a master planning process to expand and renovate the Town Library and Civic Center to better serve our community.

 

In Joe's Words...

Having a leadership role in Los Gatos is both challenging and rewarding. I pride myself on being available and responsive to all members of our community. The willingness of individuals and neighborhoods to ask for my assistance in times of need has been very gratifying, and has confirmed for me that small town government is government at its best.

 

Nonetheless, there is still much to be done. Our nation's weakened economy puts at risk the proactive approach we have taken to enhancing public services and facilities. Traffic calming and street repair remain significant priorities for many neighborhoods. The needs of our youth must be better addressed. We must remain vigilant to the impacts of residential and commercial development. Although we have made great strides on these issues, we have much yet to achieve.

 

I have every confidence, however, that our community will rise to any new challenge. As we have throughout our long history as a community, Los Gatos will continue to evolve appropriate solutions to the challenges we continue to face, and we will become even stronger as a community. By working together, we can guarantee Los Gatos will continue to be the best place in the entire valley to live, work, raise a family, and experience small town.