Though I know full well that the people I endorse aren’t hanging
on the edge of their seats waiting for the thumbs up from me, I
will happily endorse a few candidates for local races next
month.
Though I know full well that the people I endorse aren’t hanging on the edge of their seats waiting for the thumbs up from me, I will happily endorse a few candidates for local races next month. But in tight election races, my vote really could make a difference.
For City Council, I am voting for Roland Velasco. Roland has shown himself to be among the most civil of the sitting councilman. He listens to the issues, and is thoughtful when voting. He explains his reasons for a particular vote in layman’s terms, which is in marked contrast to some other council members. I don’t always agree with the way he votes, but he has earned his re-election.
I am also voting for Russ Valliquette. I didn’t support Russ the last time he ran for City Council because I felt he lacked some of the experience needed for the job.
Since his last run for office, he has been on the planning commission, a great springboard to a council seat. I’ve had the opportunity to meet Russ, and he is a real gentleman. Some people equate being a gentleman with a lack of passion. I don’t believe that all ranting is passion; some of it is just anger. Russ Valliquette will be a fine addition to the City Council.
My third vote will go to Paul Correa. Yes, Paul Correa. I realize he is far to the left of the other two candidates I am endorsing. This is just one of the reasons he gets my vote.
I believe the council should reflect the full political spectrum of our city. Also, like Russ Valliquette, Mr. Correa’s experience on the planning commission is invaluable. Mr. Correa is intelligent, passionate and has a wealth of knowledge that the Council needs. His association with Gilroy First! doesn’t bother me, nor does another candidate’s association with the Right Track Committee. These local organizations may differ on the way to get there, but they both are working on visions of a better Gilroy.
For mayor, there is really only one choice. Al Pinheiro is head and shoulders above the other three mayoral hopefuls. Of his opponents, only Lupe Arellano has council experience. She has earned my vote in earlier years, but I don’t think she is the best person to lead our city in this race. I can’t fathom what possessed the other two candidates to get into the mayoral race.
I guess you need to get your political feet wet somewhere, and this will get them name recognition for future elections. When it comes to being mayor of Gilroy, character counts. I don’t know anybody who has a bad word to say about Mr. Pinheiro. I predict that Al Pinheiro will win in a landslide.
I will now bestow my coveted “outrageous find of the week” award. This week the winner comes to us courtesy of the GUSD Web site. First, some GUSD core values:
Educational services is committed to inspire and support the achievement of academic excellence; Equity is guaranteed; Teamwork is inclusive ; Diversity is an asset; High results are expected for all; All have the capacity to learn for a lifetime
I’m a member of the Alliance for Academic Excellence, so I buy into all of the above. Equity, teamwork, diversity – if only!
Dispatch readers probably know that half of the citizens in Gilroy are of Mexican descent. The other 20,000 plus Gilroyans are Samoan, Italian, German, African American, Filipino, Swedish, Pakistani, Native American, Irish, Chinese, Dutch, Polish, Cambodian, Iranian, the list goes on and on.
The non-Hispanic population is truly diverse. So, there I am, surfing around the GUSD web site, looking for some information for my daughter about college. That’s when I see the link that reads “New – going to college” on the GHS page. I click on the English language link and suddenly I am at the web site www.yesican.gov. Yes I can? Well, actually, no I can’t. This Web site is the homepage of the “Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.”
Hello? Is anybody at GUSD familiar with their own core values? Who decided that this was the best college information site for Gilroy High’s English speaking students? The fact is that more than half of the college-bound students at GHS aren’t Hispanic. I guess it would be asking too much to hope that GUSD would clearly support the proposition that a college education is the goal for ALL students in Gilroy. Long live equity – long live diversity.
