Hennessy will face off against longtime city employee Gordon Chester<\/a>, licensed marriage and family therapist Genny Altwer<\/a>\u00a0and Scott Hughes<\/a>, who served until recently as Foley\u2019s chief of staff.<\/p>\n In an echo of Mayor Matt Mahan\u2019s oft-repeated \u201cback to basics\u201d slogan, Hennessy said he too wants to \u201crefocus City Hall on the basics.\u201d His policy platform includes plans to improve public safety, expand shelter for homeless people and boost local business.<\/p>\n Hennessy also pledged to oppose any new taxes, \u201cuntil City Hall proves it can manage the money it already has.\u201d<\/p>\n While Hennessy is casting himself as a pragmatic dealmaker, he also said he intends to push for major changes in the areas where he believes the city is falling short, including its efforts to get homeless people off the street<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a fighter. I\u2019m not afraid to say what I need to say. I think I\u2019m a stronger candidate for that,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think our city council, at this point in our life, needs a meek, mild person.\u201d<\/p>\n Hennessy and his wife, Susan, have owned their home in the De Voss Leigh neighborhood for 25 years. Over the past 45 years, he has run a string of businesses, including Mike Hennessy Automotive in Santa Clara. The longstanding shop specializes in restoring antique and classic collector cars.<\/p>\n Hennessy\u2019s passion for cars has spilled over into his community work. In 2012, he founded the Hot San Jose Nights event, a popular automotive exhibition that\u2019s raised money for a number of charitable causes, including support for veterans. The event has since been relaunched as Autorama.<\/p>\n In between his day job and community work, Hennessy has also found time to dabble in show business. For the past 14 years, he has hosted the \u201cCar Guy Channel\u201d television show, a program that has been carried by a number of local media networks including KQED and CreaTV in San Jose.<\/p>\n If elected to the District 9 seat, Hennessy\u2019s hard line on taxes would likely put him at odds with many of his council colleagues, who have been scrambling to find new revenue sources<\/a> as the city faces a projected $65 million budget deficit<\/a> for the coming fiscal year.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are going to be a lot of tough decisions to make,\u201d Hennessy said. \u201cIt\u2019s called priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n Public safety is one spending priority Hennessy said he will push to maintain, regardless of fiscal pressure. He is pledging to fully staff the San Jose Police Department, which has struggled with recruitment for years.<\/p>\n Hennessy, who has served on the board for San Jose\u2019s Veterans Day Parade for 15 years, also said he will make supporting veterans and older adults a major focus of his work.<\/p>\n With the June 2 primary election<\/a> less than four months away, the candidates\u2019 fundraising efforts<\/a> are ramping up. Altwer leads the pack with a fundraising haul of $71,719, according to the most recently available campaign filings. Hughes has raised $41,539, followed by Hennessy at $23,675 and Chester at $2,835.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HENNESSY-1-1024x768.jpg\")
District 9 candidate Mike Hennessy has run a string of small businesses over the past 45 years, including Mike Hennessy Automotive, a Santa Clara auto shop specializing in classic cars. Photo by Keith Menconi.<\/p>\n
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