Candidate opposes negative campaign
When I began my mayoral campaign last spring, I wrote a letter to every council member, including the mayor, expressing my intention to run an honest and fair campaign. Our team has done that.
Now, people and entities from outside our community have started advocating against multiple City of Gilroy candidates. I was opposed to this type of activity eight months ago, and I am opposed to it now.
Greg Bozzo
Gilroy
Intimidation tactics are not welcome
If you are a registered voter in Gilroy, by now you have been subjected to the “hit” pieces against Mayor Marie Blankley as she campaigns for re-election.
Recently it was discovered that Ten South Development Group is funding and distributing these pieces. They are the development company that is fighting to use the “Builder’s Remedy” clause and build 501 apartments on Las Animas Avenue near Monterey Roadd which is currently zoned industrial. (This will not be an exclusively low-income project.)
Documents show that Ten South has set aside $200,000 to create and distribute hateful, demeaning information about Mayor Blankley and at the same time send out promotional material for the candidates who support their project (Armendariz, Hilton and Tovar).
Every resident of Gilroy should be up in arms about these political hit pieces. It is disgusting to me that these tactics are being used to intimidate us and that an out-of-town developer is trying to dictate the outcome of Gilroy’s election.
Mayor Blankley has been a public servant of Gilroy for years on the planning commission, as a city council member and as mayor. If you prefer someone else, then use your voice to vote but don’t be fooled or misled by these lies.
We should collectively use our voices to denounce Ten South Development for coming into our community in the hopes of making millions of dollars on a single project (using the “Builder’s Remedy” clause).
Meanwhile, their hateful and misleading attack on Mayor Blankley will create a divisive community which could take years to recover.
Shame on anyone associated with Ten South Development and those council members who are complicit in this attack.
Cat Tucker
Former Gilroy City Council member
