Three City Council seats
– those held by Bob Dillon, Craig Gartman and Charles Morales –
will be on this November’s ballot. All three incumbents have
indicated they will seek re-election.
Three City Council seats – those held by Bob Dillon, Craig Gartman and Charles Morales – will be on this November’s ballot. All three incumbents have indicated they will seek re-election.
As voters evaluate the performance of each incumbent and the qualifications of any challengers, we advise them to consider all candidates’ positions and records on the following issues:
Binding arbitration – Does the candidate support binding arbitration for labor disputes with city firefighters and police officers? The current system is responsible for the budget-busting retirement program in place for police officers and that firefighters are currently battling to emulate.
When city and union negotiators reach an impasse, binding arbitration empowers an unelected arbitrator to resolve the dispute in the best interest of taxpayers. This issue impacts nearly every other issue in our community.
We’ve made it clear that we believe Gilroy taxpayers deserve to have these decisions made by someone who is accountable to them, not by an outsider who doesn’t even need to consider how Gilroyans will pay for firefighter and police officer contracts he or she approves.
We think the issue of binding arbitration ought to be put back before the voters for reconsideration. We urge Gilroyans to support candidates who support this position.
Sidewalks – City leaders say they can’t afford to fix the many cracked, buckled and broken sidewalks lining Gilroy’s streets, despite the fact that these sidewalks are a major source of “trip–and–fall” lawsuits plaguing the city. We think a look at the binding arbitration problem will reveal a major reason that there’s no money in the general fund for this basic city function.
Neighborhood parks – It’s not uncommon for Gilroy children to move into new neighborhoods and grow too old to use playground equipment while waiting for promised neighborhood parks to be built. Their parents paid park impact fees (rolled into the price of the home they purchased) when they moved in, but the park promise too often goes unfulfilled for years. Something has to change. One good idea is in practice in neighboring Morgan Hill, where developers are required to build neighborhood parks at the same time a new development’s homes are built.
Housing – Important steps have been taken but more needs to be done to ensure that a wide variety of people can afford to live in Gilroy. Our community will lose richness and vibrancy if it becomes a place only the well-to-do can afford to call home. Let’s make sure that a wide variety of housing options and price ranges are built throughout Gilroy.
Downtown revitalization – Whether it’s parking problems or unreinforced masonry or a lack of diversity in shopping, we need to address the problems that continue to plague downtown Gilroy and find creative ways to fix them. Clearly, between the state’s chronic budget crisis and competing priorities for Gilroy’s scare general fund dollars (look again at binding arbitration), city money is going to be scarce.
We encourage city leaders, developers and community-minded individuals to think creatively about how to make downtown Gilroy a friendly, exciting place to spend an afternoon and a little disposable income.
Retail build-out – During the term of whomever is elected to City Council this November, Gilroy will build out most of its retail sales space. That means that the cash cow of sales tax revenue will reach its maximum. We need to plan for how we will maintain programs and commitments (again, see binding arbitration) when sales tax revenue plateaus.
Eminent domain – The Supreme Court has broadened municipalities’ powers to force the sale of private property. This makes it extremely important that voters choose carefully to whom they entrust this power. Demand that every candidate explain clearly the circumstances under which he or she believes it is proper for governments to condemn property.
Local elections are the ones that have the most impact on our daily lives. They determine the fate of our roads, parks, schools, sidewalks, recreation opportunities and more. Careful study of the issues and candidates will help every voter to make good choices for Gilroy’s future.
