Outstanding City Manager Deserves Credit for 20-plus Years of Dedicated Service
Dear Editor,
As a former school administrator responsible for personnel, the hiring of retired teachers and classified staff was an everyday occurrence, and why not? We were able to take advantage of their vast experience and save the district important dollars that would go into the training of new personnel. And it was legal.
So rather than dwell on what Jay Baksa didn’t do, I would like to emphasize what Jay Baksa has accomplished in his 20 plus years as city administrator.
When I was responsible for facilities for Gilroy Unified School District, Jay and I searched for possible solutions in cutting the cost of water usage. With the schools at their age in 1989, it was impossible to install a meter system to separate out the human vs. irrigation usage. It was Jay Baksa who figured out a formula that saved Gilroy Unified $100,000.
It was Jay Baksa who insured that the developers and the school district work together to have sufficient, and so that the city could build the Solorsano gymnasium, which is an outstanding joint-use facility.
Jay Baksa and his staff were also involved in bringing about the appropriate ordinances that allowed for the outlets and the 10th street projects (Wal-mart, Costco, Lowes, etc.) The sales tax dollars generated from those venues supported and continue to support city services and public works. Other cities like Morgan Hill and San Jose had to lay off personnel but Gilroy did not. Finally, Gilroy has one of the best treasures in the state of California for cities under 100,000. Thank you Jay. You are an outstanding city administrator.
Sam Bozzo, Gilroy
Don’t Pull the Wool Over Resident’s Eyes on Cozy Police Retirement Deals
Dear Editor,
Upon living in Gilroy since 1965, I am truly amazed how the city administrator manages the city affairs with what he refers to as a “win-win” situation. For a city of 50,000 people, it should not be difficult to put city affairs in proper perspective.
The moves in the police department with the taxpayer’s money involved is totally unacceptable to me. There are city issues (sidewalk repairs, street repairs, unsightly parks of the city in need of clean up) that are far more important to “all” taxpayers than a move to “assist” in the opening of the new (way overdone) police station.
As for the raises of all the principals in the Gilroy Unified School District, they should, by all means, be related to the performance in the classroom of the students. Some would be in a position to have more money due to an improved class rating. If they were in private industry would not be considered for any increase in compensation.
Bud Riewerts, Gilroy
