The Editorial Board is upset because the Council (except Perry
Woodward) wants to get a clarification of what the Gilroy Visitor’s
Bureau’s roll is and if it is legal for the city to spend tax money
to open a retail store. Isn’t that the job of the Council
– what does the Editorial Board want just railroad it
through?
Dear Editor,
The Editorial Board is upset because the Council (except Perry Woodward) wants to get a clarification of what the Gilroy Visitor’s Bureau’s roll is and if it is legal for the city to spend tax money to open a retail store. Isn’t that the job of the Council – what does the Editorial Board want just railroad it through?
If Woodward is so informed then he can answer this for me is it LEGAL for the city to open a retail store with my tax dollars. I guess the Editorial Board believes ILLEGAL MEANS LEGAL. If you read the GVB bylaws their job is to promote Gilroy. Nowhere does it say anything about being a retail business. I never heard or read anywhere that the Larsons where against the GVB opening a store for information only. Why do they have to sell anything?
When GVB Director Jane Howard made her presentation she told the council, she said the GVB would sell about $10,000 a year, then later she says they want to become self-sustaining. Someone explain to me how you get $300,000 to open the business, you take in $10,000, so to me you’re short $290,000 – and that’s just the first year.
Now the next year you need another say $200,000 (no start-up cost), you sell $10,000, so you’re short $480,000.00 … etc. etc.
I’m not a genius, but how do you become self-sustaining when every year you get deeper in debt. So one of her statements is not TRUE.
The GVB will be selling item from Casa de Fruta – address 10021 Pacheco Pass Highway HOLLISTER, CA. I don’t think the Garlic Festival needs the GVB’s help. They already bring over 100,000 people to Gilroy in a three-day span. I was told once by the late former Executive Director of the Garlic Festival, Dick Nicholls, that he really didn’t want if to get much bigger because they wouldn’t be able to do as good a job.
The Welcome Center is going to promote the wineries. I believe all the wineries are out of the city of Gilroy so they don’t even pay city taxes. Will the GVB be sending people to the stores on 10th Street, Kohl’s, Ross’ Marshall’s, all the small shops? Will they give the people the names of the other stores that sell souvenirs? If they don’t refer them to other places, the city just STOLE a merchant’s livelihood.
Every dollar the GVB sells is one less dollar a merchant doesn’t get to make. In Editor Mark Derry’s recent column, I read how wonderful the writer’s experience was when he got new tires from Eric Howard (Jane Howard’s nephew). I wonder if Eric’s competition was a store funded by city taxes which could sell those tires for $10 each because the government store had no overhead if he would still go to Eric’s to get his tires. (Eric’s tires would have to sell for at least $60 to meet his overhead). I don’t think Eric would get very many customers (customers are loyal until you touch their money) and eventually he’d go broke. Maybe next we could have a government owned newspaper.
Joyce Balanesi, Gilroy
