Opinion

By Marie Blankley Measure B was passed in 2016 on the promise that it would provide an estimated $1.2 billion for the improvement of local streets and roads in all of the 15 cities of Santa Clara County. Elected officials from all cities in our...

Marie Blankley will be Gilroy’s next mayor, which means the Gilroy City Council will have to make a decision in December. Blankley’s council seat will become vacant once Mayor Roland Velasco passes the gavel. The council can decide to fill it by either a special...

My goal in taking on this project and partnering with Mary to create this book was to drive awareness and generate additional revenue for Operation Freedom Paws. I wanted to help Mary continue her mission and grow her inspiring non-profit organization.

Gilroy’s next mayor will face an unprecedented financial situation that is mired in uncertainty. The mayor alone won’t be able to solve this issue. But how effectively they lead the city council during the next four years will be critical to Gilroy’s long-term survival. There is...

By Cat Tucker Seven months into the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us are feeling the profound personal effects. While the pandemic will eventually come to an end, allowing us to go back to doing what we love, its long-reaching economic impacts could make it difficult...

My office has served the Gilroy community for over 100 years, 40 of them under my watch. Combative politics and modern technology has caused the principles of our republic, specifically the electoral college, to be lost.  Our republic was formed by rural states and populous...

I am 19 and this is my first time being included in the voting process. Voting is something we are lucky enough to have the privilege to do, and we need to make sure that we are taking full advantage of these opportunities. Voting...

I disagree with Mayor Roland Velasco's claim that Gilroy should have conducted a nationwide search for a new city administrator instead of appointing Jimmy Forbis, who has been the Gilroy Finance Director since 2016 and is the current interim administrator.  Full disclosure, I live in...

By Carol Marques I was disappointed last week when I read a letter to the editor in the Dispatch which reinforced the negativity that is trending right now. The writer’s perceptions of the City of Gilroy lack the facts. Much of what he is concerned...

By Mark Turner To Chief Scot Smithee, thank you for a job well done. I can’t imagine it’s an easy job being a cop. There are a lot of challenges that go along with being a member of law enforcement, especially these days. While the cop...