How’s this for a disturbing thought? Due to the low percentage
of eligible citizens who are registered to vote and the low number
of registered voters who bother to cast a ballot, it’s been
estimated that the city’s current mayor and incumbent council
members were selected by less than 20 percent of Gilroyans.
How’s this for a disturbing thought? Due to the low percentage of eligible citizens who are registered to vote and the low number of registered voters who bother to cast a ballot, it’s been estimated that the city’s current mayor and incumbent council members were selected by less than 20 percent of Gilroyans.
Let’s change that tomorrow. We urge all Gilroyans who are registered to take a few moments to cast an educated ballot Tuesday.
If you haven’t followed the races closely, it’s not too late to brush up on the candidates and issues. The Dispatch’s Web site provides a wonderful resource to review candidate statements and to read articles profiling each of the four candidates for mayor and seven candidates for City Council. Read news articles about their campaigns and letters and columns opining about who deserves your vote.
But then, take the most important step: vote.
We have made recommendations for candidates in this important race in which a majority of seats on Gilroy’s council are on the ballot.
For mayor, we believe the best candidate is clearly Al Pinheiro. A longtime Gilroyan and small businessman who has served on City Council, the Planning Commission and in the Chamber of Commerce, he has built a reputation as an inclusive, deliberative leader who has Gilroy’s best interests at heart.
Pinheiro will bring a refreshing change of style to city politics. His administration promises to be aboveboard, not Machiavellian, and to emphasize consensus building rather than acrimonious discourse.
Choosing Al Pinheiro for mayor will bring the city not only a better tone and tenor in its political discussions, but a set of priorities that includes a focus on downtown and on wisely managing the effects of the state budget crisis on Gilroy’s coffers.
For City Council, we have an embarrassment of riches – seven well-qualified and diverse candidates are vying for three available seats. We had a difficult time choosing just three.
In the end, we recommended Roland Velasco, Russ Valiquette and Mark Dover.
Velasco, an incumbent, has shown himself to be thoughtful, deliberative, middle-of-the-political-spectrum Council member during his first term. His quiet, compassionate style will mesh well with Pinheiro’s brand of leadership. We believe that if Velasco is given a second term on City Council, he will take even more of a leadership role on key issues.
Russ Valiquette has earned our endorsement by spending time on the Planning Commission, learning the ins and outs of city government operations and becoming well-versed on the issues facing Gilroy. He’s proven himself to be a pragmatist on the planning commission and diligent as well, racking up a perfect attendance record. He actually reads and understands the reams of information presented to him as a planning commissioner and will do the same if elected to City Council.
Finally, we endorse Mark Dover for a City Council seat. Dover has run a bare-bones campaign that leaves him in no one’s debt when it is time to vote on the issues. A former city employee, he has a unique perspective on ways to improve city operations that is especially important in this tight budget times. He is willing to ask the difficult questions and won’t accept that doing things the way they’ve always been done is a good enough answer for Gilroy. He’s shown that he’s able to work with people of different opinions during his time on the Gavilan Board of Trustees, and we think his perspective is key to improving the quality of life for Gilroyans.
Whether you agree or disagree with our choices, please make your voice heard Tuesday – take a few moments to vote on Election Day.
