To the Editor, The role of a city commissioner is one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Commissioners are appointed by the City Council after an application and interview process in public view. They provide direct feedback to the City Council in areas that they study and advocate. Being a commissioner means that you put the needs of the community before yours. As a commissioner, it’s your duty to act professionally while representing your commission locally and regionally.
Parks and Recreation Commissioner Carol Marques is running for the two-year City Council term against incumbent Dan Harney. This is a short amount of time to come in fresh and make an impact, but it can be done. I’ve watched Harney make a difference.  Marques was appointed in January. What are her accomplishments on the Parks and Recreation Commission that didn’t benefit her? Not sure. When you watch her interview, she says that she wanted to focus on safety at Las Animas Park, where she hosts her tennis club matches. She has missed regular meetings, one of which was the annual Arbor Day celebration at Carriage Hills Park and the annual work plan discussion for her commission that followed. I was there and watched the neighbors of the park talk to the commission about the safety at their park and what they have experienced.
Prove to those of us who are raising families in Gilroy why we should put you in power when we haven’t seen any support for things that matter to us, Commissioner Marques.  We want safe routes to school, jobs, downtown parks, housing and economic development support for upscale destinations such as the Hecker Pass Ag-Tourist District. Instead, as vice chair of small and elite groups like Gilroy Growing Smarter, Marques did everything in her power to make Great Wolf Lodge and the Hecker Pass Ag-Tourist developers feel unwelcome. Why should we elect someone who is currently in a position to support our values of the greater community, but focuses on making sure her tennis club at Las Animas is taken care of?
Zachary Hilton is chair of Gilroy’s Bicycle Pedestrian Commission. Â
