Rod Sinks: The Restless Advocate

Over a recent lunch at , Rod Sinks popped a whole hot pepper into his mouth—the dried blood-red ones that come with dishes like Kung Pao chicken or, in Sinks’ case, tangerine beef.

“Wow, that was hot,” he gasped a few moments later, gulping down ice water.

“We’ll see how well I can manage it,” he responded to a remark that he seems to be handling the tongue-numbing heat quite well.

This dance with a Chinese hot pepper seems indicative of how Sinks, the newest member of the , has approached his position in city government.

Sinks himself admits he never had ambitions of running for public office—perhaps how in retrospect he never wanted to put that pepper in his mouth—but a deep passion for the issues and frustration with local government’s inefficacy led him to campaign.

Now that he’s here, he’s going to make the very best of it.

“One of the worst things in the world is apathy,” Sinks said. “When something is happening and people aren’t willing to stand up and educate themselves, first of all, and then do something about it.”

Friends and colleagues, many who pushed the business savvy techie to run last year, noticed Sinks’ hesitancy themselves. 

“You know in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, how the president of the universe was the guy who least wanted the job?” asked John Bartas, a software engineer who served as the web master for Sinks’ campaign. “That’s who Rod reminds me of. He really doesn’t want to but has to because he’s so passionate about the issues.”

Bartas, who first met Sinks while he was decked out in his Scout Master’s uniform, said he was surprised Sinks ultimately ran for office since it’s essentially “a volunteer job.”

“He’s basically working at minimum wage for the amount of work he’s been doing,” he said. “I’m really convinced he doesn’t have any higher political aspirations but that he just wants to do what’s right for the community.”

Sinks hasn’t wasted any time learning the ropes of his new position. Although he ran on a three-pronged platform—the environment, education and development—supporters say he’s more than a pigeonholed candidate. 

“He was most motivated at first by the environmental issues but he’s really learned about and understood quickly that, on the city council, you’ve got to be responsible for a whole range of issues,” said Richard Adler, a writer and researcher who met Sinks through their mutual interest in environmental issues.

Friend and fellow environmental advocate Paula Wallis called Sinks a "reluctant candidate," but now that he's in office, the council is fortunate to count him among its members.

"I've been so impressed with him because he's taking on that same sort of persistence and thorough investigation with other issues as he has with the Lehigh issue," she said, referring to Sinks' advocacy for .

“Diplomatic” is a word that kept popping up to describe the Minnesota native. Although he’s unafraid to speak his mind, he does so in a levelheaded manner.

Bartas said he’s had a calming effect on the council and has been “very good” at smoothing over old animosities.

“A receptive official leader needs to see things from different perspectives, both the supporters and opponents,” Hoi Poon, executive director of Parents for Great Education who met Sinks through his work on the board for Bay Area for Clean Environment, explained.

“Rod’s got incredibly good analytical skills and can make some sound judgment calls that will be beneficial to residents at the end of the day. I think that is from his technical background.”

Friend of 15 years Thorsten von Stein said that Sinks is the “perfect person” to be on the council thanks to his attitude. He possess both patience and persistence, von Stein said, qualities that come in handy when meeting with opposing views.

“He’s frank and outspoken, but not in a confrontational way,” he said. “He manages to speak his mind without offending people and respects contrary points of view, but will definitely take a stand and defend his position.”

Although he's never held office before, Sinks' supporters seem to think he's heralding in a new era for Cupertino politics.

"Being a politician is not seen as something that's generally positive," von Stein said. "Rod is definitely not someone you would consider a politician, someone with dishonesty and opportunism. He’s very a straight forward and honest guy. He’s the kind of guy you wish there were more of them in politics."