GILROY
– Russ Valiquette is hoping the third time really is a
charm.
GILROY – Russ Valiquette is hoping the third time really is a charm.
The 28-year Gilroy resident is in his third City Council race in the last four years. In 2001, he was 453 votes short of getting elected, but those aren’t the numbers he’s concerned about now.
Rather, he’s focused on how the $35.6 million that pays for city administration, police, fire, community services and community development gets generated. Those departments comprise a sort of sacred core of city services Valiquette says he will always protect.
Valiquette points out that sales tax is the largest revenue source for the City of Gilroy, contributing nearly half of the general fund.
“The biggest issue to me is that we keep our economic development going in the right direction and that we don’t hold back on it,” Valiquette said. “We need it badly, especially in these economic times.”
And that means, in part, welcoming the “big box” retail stores coming into Gilroy with economic incentive packages.
“The big box stores generate sales tax, and that’s what this town survives on is sales tax,” Valiquette said.
Valiquette’s belief that retail sales is the bread and butter portion of Gilroy coffers helps make him one of the more Wal-Mart-friendly Council candidates.
Valiquette understands the concern some people have regarding Wal-Mart’s proposal to move into the new Pacheco Pass shopping center and out of its current location on Arroyo Circle. If the retail giant moves, it will open a Supercenter version of its store, selling cheap groceries that could, in theory, put supermarkets on the east side out of business.
“I believe that if Wal-Mart (Supercenter) comes to town, some of the (grocery) stores in town will see a dip. Will it drive them out of business? No,” Valiquette said.
Valiquette is open to the idea of using sales tax revenue from the big box stores and earmarking it for downtown improvements. But he would draw a line if allocating sales tax dollars downtown negatively impacted his sacred core of services.
Valiquette sees the city’s role in downtown revitalization as one that’s focused on improving and maintaining roads, sidewalks and street-side landscaping.
Merchants and property owners, however, are responsible for building upkeep and marketing.
“When we have a deficit of $2 million (Gilroy took that amount from its reserves to cover budget shortfalls for this year), I don’t want to think about expanding money in this direction or that direction,” Valiquette said. “I just want to take care of our responsibility, show the merchants and property owners that we’re working in good faith, that we’re going to keep our end of the bargain and hope that they’ll follow our lead.”
As business friendly as Valiquette seems, he says he would not have fought against the medical center that wants to open where the Garlic Festival store currently is. Many revitalization advocates argued the clinic was not the sort of business they envisioned for downtown.
“I really don’t have a problem with it, but I’m not too crazy about the exact location,” Valiquette said. “I can live with where they want to go, but I’m thinking ‘is there a better location maybe just a block down?’ ”
Valiquette, 44, has lived in Gilroy since 1975 and is a graduate of Gilroy High School.
Valiquette is the sitting chairman of the Gilroy Planning Commission and a member of various other city and county planning committees. He served in both the National Guard and U.S. Army and has done volunteer work for Garlic Festival, Pop Warner football and Little League baseball.
A former paid-call firefighter for Gilroy, Valiquette now works at Bonfante Gardens as Loss Prevention Supervisor. His wife is Maria Valiquette, and he has three sons.
Since police protection is part of the core city services, Valiquette is not looking to make cuts to department spending.
“A lot of fire and police expenses is bringing them up and giving them better equipment,” Valiquette said. “If it makes their job more efficient, we should be spending money on it.”
Valiquette said he could support a new police station design that costs less than $20 million.
As for neighborhood parks, Valiquette believes they should be ready to use when the first person in the neighborhood moves in. Valiquette says the concept is so important he would fund neighborhood park construction with monies set aside for the proposed sports complex.
“If it cuts in to the sports park, then so be it,” Valiquette said.
