Readers have opposing points of view
All is Well in Gilroy – Let’s Return the Mayor and Entire Council
Dear Editor,
Let’s take a step back and look at ourselves. There has been a lot of emotion with little enlightenment and a lot of fiction with few facts. Regardless of all the negative comments, I still think Gilroy is a great place to live! I am not sure I agree 100 percent with everything, but even the best of friends rarely do.
Let’s take a look at where the mayor and City Council have brought us to this point. The Santa Teresa improvement is great. Our downtown is looking good and alive with activities. Many building projects have been competed and many more are in the planning stage or in process, this includes the purchase of land for a new Arts and Cultural Center.
Our parks are great and we have added to the system, including the new Sports Park south of town. The retail business that has been brought here, which we all use, has increased our tax base and that is good. Our police and fire departments both have new homes and are both doing a great job. Thanks to all! Our city streets are good and improvements are being made to ease traffic patterns. Over the last three years or so there has been more put into the sidewalk repair budget than ever before.
We now have a new superintendent of schools, who I feel is a great choice, and the mayor and City Council will be working with her to continue safety for our children. We have a budget reserve that is being protected and saved in case of an emergency. We are on a roll! Let’s keep our mayor and City Council as is – we are well on the way to greatness – let them finish their jobs.
Erwin Boggs, Gilroy
Spinning the Truth – That’s Why Gilroy Needs New Leadership
Dear Editor,
Lame duck City Administrator Jay Baksa and his heir to the throne, Anna Jatczak, co-signed a letter once again running interference for Mayor Al Pinheiro on the issue of sidewalk liability. Baksa’s statement, while technically true, harkens to another politician who said, “It depends on what your definition of is, is.”
Indeed the council did approve, with only Councilman Craig Gartman opposing, a draft resolution to direct staff to formalize the ordinance for final vote of the council. The debate on the details were already settled.
There is rarely a reversal once the draft resolution is passed. In fact, the only way to bring it back is for one of the members who voted yes to say he wants to look at it again. After seeing the huge political fallout, the mayor and his yes men, (the stamps ran out of ink), quickly ran for cover. So while Mr. Baksa didn’t lie, he was certainly intent on shuck and jive.
Send a clear message to our city staff by replacing the mayor and those councilman who claim they are looking out for the city yet fail to look out for its citizen’s. It is time we elect a leader who is not lead by his employees.
Mark A. Zappa, Gilroy
