The filing period hasn’t even opened and already candidates are
lining up to represent the residents of Gilroy
When it comes to the upcoming City Council and mayoral election, we have some good news – filing season hasn’t even opened, and already it’s a real race.
Two candidates have announced that they’ll be running for mayor: incumbent Al Pinheiro and second-term city councilman Craig Gartman.
The two men are quite different in both temperament and ideas, meaning that voters have a real choice for who will lead the city.
For City Council, six candidates have already announced their intentions to run for three available seats: Incumbents Roland Velasco and Russ Valiquette are seeking second terms, as is former city councilman Bob Dillon. Also hoping to join the dais are parks and recreation commissioner Cat Tucker, and planning commissioners Joan Spencer and Tim Day.
And there’s still time for additional candidates to join the race, as the filing season opens on July 16 and closes on Aug. 10.
Pinheiro often votes with the majority on City Council, Gartman often is the minority voice. No matter which man wins, the fact that Gartman is challenging Pinheiro means that important – and sometimes uncomfortable – issues will be raised during the campaign. Without a challenger, those issues would very like go unaddressed, or would not be addressed in sufficient depth to enlighten voters.
Many have complained about a lockstep council, with the majority voting the way senior city staffers recommend. This issue flared with special intensity when large raises and a controversial system for determining those raises were approved for high-level administrators just two weeks before senior staffers presented in-depth news of city fiscal difficulties – necessitating use of reserve funds – to Council members.
Other important issues await the next Council, including the fate of Gilroy Gardens: should the city purchase it, and if so, how should it pay for it? If, by the time a new Council is seated, the city has already has purchased it, how should the park be operated? Will other projects will be delayed or cut to pay for the park purchase?
The issues extend beyond the city. For example, how can the city improve its planning relationship with the school district so that schools aren’t overwhelmed with new students and can afford to build the facilities those students require?
These are just a few of the issues that voters will use to evaluate mayoral and city council candidates.
We look forward to a lively, informative campaign.
