Mark Dover’s candidacy for City Council has been clouded by the
question of whether it’s legal for him to serve as a Gavilan
College Trustee, which he does currently, and a Gilroy City Council
member.
Mark Dover’s candidacy for City Council has been clouded by the question of whether it’s legal for him to serve as a Gavilan College Trustee, which he does currently, and a Gilroy City Council member.
That’s too bad because Dover is an intriguing, well-qualified candidate. Beyond questioning his sanity (who would want to sit on the Gavilan Board and the City Council concurrently?), he’s exactly the type of candidate that makes perfect sense for Gilroy.
He’s a lifelong resident who has worked inside City Hall as a recreation department coordinator, and, as we do, he has questions about what exactly our outlet, big-box retail frenzy of the last decade has bought us.
Our sports park isn’t built, a Gilroy cultural center is a decade away, the downtown isn’t near what our neighbors in Morgan Hill or Hollister have, neighborhood parks aren’t getting built in a timely fashion and trees rip open our city’s sidewalks. These are quality-of-life issues that Dover is willing to bring to the forefront.
In a perfect world, Dover might step up and say that, if elected to the City Council, he would resign his seat at Gavilan. That isn’t what he had in mind, of course. Dover has a commendable sense of obligation to the people that elected him to the Gavilan Board. He sees little conflict inherent in the two positions. We agree. Gavilan College serves a far wider region, and there is precious little evidence to suggest that Dover would have to step away from multiple votes concerning city business due to a conflict of interest with Gavilan College interests.
After considering the situation carefully, we urge voters to simply measure Dover against the other candidates and allow the questions about the legitimacy of his candidacy to be worked out if he’s elected. It may be that he would have to resign his Gavilan seat if elected. It may be that he can serve on both boards effectively, legally and without conflict.
In short, there are many more reasons to actively consider voting for Dover than there are to dismiss him. Gilroyans should vote for or against him based on the merit of his ideas and skills.
