GILROY
– Councilman Craig Gartman confirmed Monday that he went job
hunting while on a 12-day trip this month visiting family in
Texas.
GILROY – Councilman Craig Gartman confirmed Monday that he went job hunting while on a 12-day trip this month visiting family in Texas.
Gartman said the positions for which he interviewed would require him to move, meaning the challenge of finding of work in post-boon Silicon Valley could alter the fabric of Gilroy’s City Council.
“I could have a good chance at landing work (in Texas), I could have no chance at all,” said Gartman, a Gilroy resident since 1996. “It’s not like I’m just looking outside the state for work. I’m also looking in our backyard.”
If Gartman lands work out of state, his seat would be filled by an appointee of the City Council until the next general election. Council can call a special election to let voters replace Gartman, although that option is rarely used, City Clerk Rhonda Pellin said.
Gartman’s seat expires in November 2005, but the appointee would have to run for the seat in the general election to hold the seat for the remainder of its term. In the past, Pellin said, Council has appointed former Councilmembers to an open seat and has conducted interviews for the position.
If Gartman got employed before Nov. 4, Pellin said the election would not have to factor into Council’s decision. However, she said Council could announce their intention to appoint the next highest vote-getter in the November election to Gartman’s seat.
Seven candidates, including two incumbents, are running for three open City Council seats this year.
“I love Gilroy and I’d love to work here and live here,” Gartman said. “If it comes to that, it would be a tough decision to take work out of state and leave this all behind. But my most important objective is making a living for my family.”
Gartman’s job search began when he was laid off in January 2002 from Nortel Networks. Since then, he found work at Hobby World in Gilroy and at three area school districts as a substitute teacher. Gartman’s City Council work brings in $672 a month.
