GILROY
– The mass mailing that opposed a new high school at Day Road
and advocated for the mayor’s top choice at Vickery Avenue used a
bulk mailer permit number of a longtime Tom Springer supporter and
recent school district critic.
GILROY – The mass mailing that opposed a new high school at Day Road and advocated for the mayor’s top choice at Vickery Avenue used a bulk mailer permit number of a longtime Tom Springer supporter and recent school district critic.

Mark Zappa confirmed this week that he let Neighbors for Responsible Development use his bulk mailer permit to send 4,000 flyers to residents north of Sixth Street last week.

The mailer referred to the Day Road high school site as Sprawl High and its Vickery Avenue counterpart as Central High. It also encouraged residents to attend Thursday night’s school board meeting, where trustees authorized Superintendent Edwin Diaz to begin preliminary environmental studies and land purchase negotiations.

Zappa, a community activist, said he is not playing a political game on behalf of his ally, the mayor. Rather, the Thomas Road area resident said putting a new high school in a more central part of town is something he believes in.

“This is not some political alignment. True, all things at this level are political, but I’m looking at it in a practical way,” Zappa said. “With a little bit of negotiating, I thought (the Vickery Avenue) site would be perfect.”

Zappa said he reviewed the flyer and gave it his OK before it was mailed last week. He acknowledged meeting with the mayor regarding the high school site options, but said he did not work with the mayor on the mailer.

The arguments contained in the flyer closely mirror those made by the mayor in recent weeks. Springer acknowledged meeting with Neighbors for Responsible Development before the mailer went out, but firmly denied contributing money to the bulk mail effort, designing the flyer or being a member of the grassroots group.

“I did not create, edit, revise, (or) comment on their flyer,” Springer told The Dispatch in an e-mail this week.

Bulk mail permits cost $150 a year. The permit allows customers to get a discounted rate on each bulk mailing. Mailings must exceed a minimum of 200 pieces of mail or 50 pounds per mailing.

The district hopes to open the new high school in 2008 for half of its eventual 1,600 to 1,800 student enrollment.

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