Cortese Interview

 

 

I learned a lot from my father, Dom Cortese, when he was on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and State Assembly. When I was 10 years old, I worked in my family’s orchards alongside migrant farmworkers. As the Vietnam War escalated, two of them were drafted to serve in the U.S. Army and were sent to fight abroad.  One of them was killed. I didn’t think this was right and wanted to tell someone who could do something. My parents advised me to write to my congressman, who then was Don Edwards. I did, and he wrote me back a real letter, not just a form letter.  I was so impressed that an elected official would take the time to reach out to a young boy that I started to think that public service might be a future path for me. I began to think about public service as a way to help people through difficulties. My first elected office was as a Trustee of the East Side Union High School District.

 

 

I was a San Jose businessman at the time and was searching for a community service group that did more than talk about good deeds.  I found that the San Jose/Evergreen Rotary was an organization that listened to the needs of the community and got things done.  I remember one event we organized at Agnews Development Center called Fun Day.  We filled the children’s day with art activities, games and entertainment that not only brought them joy but added to the skills they were learning at the center.

 

 

I grew up with the Service Above Self philosophy. My family was active in civic, cultural and business activities for generations going back to my grandfather, Vince Cortese, Sr., an immigrant who came to the U.S. penniless and worked to become a successful businessman and job creator. My wife, Pattie, and I have tried to lead by example in order to pass that philosophy on to our children.

As an elected official, I take an oath to conduct my work in a way that reflects honesty and integrity, to ma nage the public’s money wisely and embrace the diversity of our community. I’ve devoted much of my time in office toward creating public policy that brings justice to those who don’t have a strong voice in government. I have organized many events to bring people of all faiths and beliefs together for the common good.  In many ways, the Rotary’s Four Way Test embodies the values that I have always lived by, professionally and personally.