Gilroy City Councilman Peter Arellano grabbed the endorsement of
the South County Democratic Club on Saturday for his bid for Santa
Clara County Supervisor after recently being endorsed by the
Silicon Valley Democratic Club.
Gilroy City Councilman Peter Arellano grabbed the endorsement of the South County Democratic Club on Saturday for his bid for Santa Clara County Supervisor after recently being endorsed by the Silicon Valley Democratic Club.
However, the vast majority of the people who voted for Arellano Saturday had not been members for very long, according to the South County Democratic Club Treasurer Swanee Edwards. Of the 40 votes that Arellano received from the club, 35 were from recent members, Edwards said. In addition, several of the people who voted shared the same address.
About three-quarters of the new members paid for their membership in cash, Edwards said. She said she did not know the reason for this, but noted that it leaves less of a paper trail than paying via check.
Edwards emphasized that she did not have any problems with Arellano personally, saying that he is a friend and that they have attended several Democratic Party functions together. At the same time, she expressed concern about the way in which she said Arellano’s supporters were able to get the club to endorse him.
“If it looks dirty and smells dirty, it’s probably a stinky situation,” Edwards said.
In fact, it is not unusual for candidates to encourage their supporters to join the club during election years, said Alex Kennett, president of the South County Democratic Club.
“Every two years, we always get an influx of members,” he said. “Some of them stay active.”
Many local residents feel that Arellano would best represent their interests, particularly as he has a history in local politics, Kennett said.
“He is the local candidate,” Kennett said. “A lot of people feel strongly that they don’t want to be represented by an out-of-towner.”
Arellano contended that many of the people at Saturday’s meeting were regular members.
“It’s not true,” he said repeatedly about Edwards’ contention that most people who voted for Arellano were new members, refusing to further elaborate. “She’s incorrect.”
Arellano said he has been active in several groups throughout the area.
“I feel good about it,” he said of the endorsements by the regional Democratic clubs.
In addition, he was pleased with the direction of the campaign thus far, he said.
“It’s going well,” he said. “It’s moving forward.”
