Questions for Councilman Daniel Harney

Daniel Harney, 40, was appointed by six City Council members on Jan. 25 to fill the vacancy left when Mayor Don Gage retired and Councilman Perry Woodward filled his seat. He was chosen over seven highly qualified applicants to serve for 10 months. Harney thinks he will run for election to the office for the following four years. He was sworn in and started to serve immediately after being appointed.

He’s a native of Candiac, Canada, near Montreal, a town he says is a lot like Gilroy. He lived in Morgan Hill before moving to Gilroy four years ago. He works in environmental compliance at eBay and before that supervised distribution and safety at Owens-Corning in Santa Clara.

We asked some questions about his vision for the future.
 

DISPATCH: How do you feel about your new position?

HARNEY: Well, first I’m delighted that the City Council selected me. I would say that’s a good representation. I’m delighted and excited about the opportunities to work with such a great team on the council and the city administration.
 

DISPATCH: Did you expect to win?

HARNEY: No, I didn’t. What I was thinking was, I looked at the candidates and there were some really strong candidates. My initial thought was that the community got a taste for the flavor and authenticity of my candidacy, but I didn’t expect to walk away as the winner.
 

DISPATCH: What’s been your biggest surprise about the position?

HARNEY: My biggest surprise was how quick the city clerk calls on people to pass the vote. I did read the packet prior to the meeting, but because I didn’t think I would win, I didn’t have a printed version of the agenda. I was fumbling around with the computer system and the votes were coming at me fast. I felt ill-prepared, even though I was prepared.
 

DISPATCH: Where do you see Gilroy in 10 years?

HARNEY: Generally speaking I want to see Gilroy grow in a smart way that makes sense so we can attract the right mix of people and industry. Transit-oriented development, in my opinion, would attract some of the Millennials and Gen-Xers and more businesses to the downtown. Growth will also allow the aging population to move to senior communities and allow younger people to move into their homes.
 

DISPATCH: What do you think of the controversial proposal to build 4,000 homes on 721 acres north of town?

HARNEY: I don’t really have an opinion on that. It’s so far down the pipeline, I need to understand all the facts. Some of the community is for it and against it and a lot of people are in between. Personally, I need to get a much better understanding of the issues for and against it and understand the middle ground.
 

DISPATCH: Thoughts on high speed rail or hyperloop?

HARNEY: I’m not thinking about hyperloop. I am thinking about high speed rail. I’m for it. That positions our city very strategically for TOD (transit-oriented development) and would help make us a gateway for industry.
 

DISPATCH: What’s the difference between working at eBay and city government?

HARNEY: You know, I would look at the similarities before I would look at the differences. Looking at eBay, it’s all about the community of buyers and sellers and creating a level playing field so the small ones can compete with the big people. If you look at what the city administration is trying to create for Gilroy, it’s to create a community where everyone has fair and equal access to the resources. At eBay we work with collaboration. We like to debate, decide and deliver. In the city, the staff does most of the debating and weighing their options. Their job is to do the back work and advise the City Council and the council should be debating that openly and making their decision.
 

DISPATCH: Did you ever expect to be in government? Was it a dream?
HARNEY: No, I never thought I would. I’m very proud of what I did on the HOA at Creekside Village, but that was as far as I thought any political aspirations would go. At the same time, I see Gilroy is on the cusp of becoming the next great town in Silicon Valley and I want to be a part of it.