Though a few days of school remain and Gilroyans have yet to
stage the 25th Anniversary Garlic Festival, a pivotal city election
is not too far away.
Though a few days of school remain and Gilroyans have yet to stage the 25th Anniversary Garlic Festival, a pivotal city election is not too far away. November is coming and it’s not too early for voters to begin weighing the direction and character of the City Council.
There are four council seats up in November, including Mayor Tom Springer’s chair. There are pressing issues to discuss:
• How much should a town of 45,000 be spending on a new police station? Could MORE THAN $26,000,000 MILLION TAXPAYER DOLLARS BE TOO MUCH?
• Now that we have virtually every big box store under the sun, what are we going to do about downtown Gilroy? Any concrete ideas? Any real commitment? Any progress?
• Our badly needed sports park – where is it and why haven’t we built it?
• What about the pace of city park construction? Why is the lag time between new housing developments and park space so terribly long?
• What is the answer to the ever-climbing cost of benefits for police and firefighters?
• Have our city economic incentive policies gone too far?
Sweeping change is possible this November. We are hopeful that new faces will emerge – perhaps out from under the wings of the Leadership Gilroy program. A graduate or two to challenge the thinking of those in power would be a good thing.
Meanwhile, citizens should keep their ears and eyes open to gauge the progress and direction – or lack thereof – of Gilroy.
Those in power should be judged for what they have and what they have not done during their time in office.
November is coming, keep a clear head Gilroy. Four Council seats is a majority and it’s time for the citizens to make it clear what’s important for our future.
