marie blankley city council chambers gio la corte mayor for the day
Gio La Corte holds the gavel in the City Council Chambers as part of a tour of city hall with Mayor Marie Blankley on Monday. Photo: Erik Chalhoub

As the mayor of Gilroy, Gio La Corte said he wanted to get the city’s crumbling roads back into shape, citing repaving Monterey Road and Luchessa Avenue as the first step.

But because there are countless moving parts within city government, it’s understandable that the seventh-grader didn’t get a chance to take on such a monumental task in the brief period that he held the mayor’s gavel on Monday.

Gio joined Mayor Marie Blankley for Mayor for a Day, an activity that benefited the Gilroy Foundation.

Gio’s grandparents Karen and Frank La Corte purchased the activity during Day in the Country in 2022, an annual major fundraiser for the Gilroy Foundation.

“It was a fun experience,” he said. “I’m really glad my grandma and grandpa bought it.”

The day began with lunch at Old City Hall, before Blankley and Gio went to city hall. There, the two reviewed the evening’s city council meeting agenda, and then went on a tour of city hall with City Administrator Jimmy Forbis.

Gio later got a tour of the Gilroy Police Department and fire station on Chestnut Street before wrapping up the day at city hall.

“I’m happy to see the youth interested in what goes on behind the scenes at city hall,” Blankley said. “There’s a lot going on.”

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Erik Chalhoub joined Weeklys as an editor in 2019. Prior to his current position, Chalhoub worked at The Pajaronian in Watsonville for seven years, serving as managing editor from 2014-2019.

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