GILROY
– Another candidate has officially entered the November City
Council fray.
GILROY – Another candidate has officially entered the November City Council fray.
Russ Valiquette, a two-time Council candidate and the current chairman of the city’s Planning Commission, said Monday that he’s decided to run one more time for one of the three City Council seats up for re-election this fall.
Candidates must announce their candidacy and file paperwork for the election between July 14 and Aug. 8. However, Valiquette said he’s announcing early in order to avoid the jockeying for position that he said often comes later in the election season and get a head start on communication with voters.
“I just want to get out there, get my platform out there, get out to the people and run,” he said.
The 44-year-old works as an operations manager in charge of loss prevention, security and public safety at the Bonfante Gardens theme park.
He serves on the city’s Neighborhood District Task Force, which is working to craft regulations for a blend of commercial uses and mixed-density housing in new residential developments. He was also chairman of the Memorial Day Parade committee and said he was a founding member of the Volunteers in Policing and Citizens Police Academy programs.
Valiquette, a self-described moderate, said a major goal or mission will be to work for a stable economic base that will pay for services as the city grows in coming years.
“Without keeping the economy of this town going, you can have an agenda of anything you want (as a Councilperson), and it won’t do you a bit of good,” he said.
Valiquette doesn’t foresee the need for more city financial incentive packages for retail development in Gilroy in the near future, but would like to land corporate office-type developments such as those in the East Bay community of San Ramon and would be willing to employ incentives to help secure them.
“As far as I’m concerned, I can’t see anything as far as retail goes where any incentive package would be given” in the next few years, he said. “If we were able to get a major corporation who wanted to bring a headquarters, I’d have no problem revisiting the incentives to bring them down here.
“Right now as far as retail goes, I think it’s run its course.”
Valiquette said he will also push for the early construction of neighborhood parks.
“When a neighborhood opens up and they’re supposed to have a park, they’ll have a park there,” he said. “I want someone to be able to move into their house, walk out after they’ve get unpacked and go down to the park to take a break.”
Another goal will be to get downtown property owners involved in the revitalization of that area, Valiquette said.
“We need to figure out a way to get them sitting at the table,” he said.
Council seats held by Peter Arellano, Al Pinheiro, Roland Velasco and Mayor Tom Springer are up for re-election this fall. So far Springer has formally announced that he will seek another term and Pinheiro has also said he will at least run for Council again.
