Councilmember Velasco running against incumbent Woodward for mayor

Published in the August 24 – September 6, 2016 issue of Gilroy Life

By Staff Report

Candidates for the various local races in Gilroy and the South County for the Nov. 8 general election have started campaigning. Gilroy residents will also decide on a city measure to amend the Gilroy General Plan to address urban growth issues.

Local voters will also have to decide on two county-wide measures, one a bond intended to provide affordable housing and the other a half-cent sales tax to address transportation needs.

One of the most watched local campaigns will be the Gilroy mayoral race. Incumbent Mayor Perry Woodward faces Roland Velasco, a Gilroy councilmember and a policy analyst for County Supervisor Mike Wasserman.

Woodward,Perry

Perry Woodward

“It is an honor to serve as your mayor,” Woodward said in a statement provided to Gilroy Life. “My decade of public service has been devoted to improving Gilroy’s quality of life through consensus building. As a longtime Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority director and the current Caltrain board chair, I envision balanced, transit-oriented growth for our town and reducing traffic between Gilroy and Silicon Valley. I am a fourth-generation Gilroyan, local business attorney, U.S. Navy veteran, husband, and father of two daughters in public elementary school.”

The city council in January appointed Woodward to serve as mayor after Don Gage left the position in December.

Roland Velasco

Roland Velasco

“I decided to run for mayor because Gilroy is at a crossroads,” Velasco said in a statement provided to Gilroy Life. “The city council faces many important decisions including future housing numbers, job creation strategies and public safety for our residents. Many people have lost confidence in the current appointed mayor. My experience, education and insight into local government has prepared me for the challenges we face. I promise to listen to all, and be a trusted and independent voice of reason for the citizens of Gilroy.”

For three seats available on the Gilroy city council, eight candidates have filed. Incumbents running are Cat Tucker and Daniel Harney, who was appointed to the council in January to fill a vacancy left when Mayor Don Gage retired and Councilmember Woodward filled his seat.

Other candidates are Paul V. Kocker, a city planning commissioner, Reid Lerner, an architect, J. Brennan, a corporate controller, and residents Craig Gartman, a former city councilman, Fred M. Tovar, a member of the Gilroy Unified School District board of trustees, and Tom Fischer, a city planning commissioner.

In the race for the three seats open on the board of trustees for the Gilroy Unified School District, incumbents Mark W. Good and James Pace have filed to run as well as BC Doyle, a retired school employee, and Paul Nadeau, an education director and parent.

The general election will be the first for Gavilan Community College since the board voted to transition from at-large to district elections. Incumbent trustees Jonathan Brusco for Area 2 and Mark Dover for Area 4 are running unopposed.

Business owner Danielle Davenport and retired educator Rachel Perez have filed for the Trustee Area 6 race, which covers most of Gilroy, some of San Benito County, and a small portion of Morgan Hill.

For the District 1 seat of the Santa Clara Valley Water District board, two candidates have filed to run: Tom Cruz, who ran for the seat four years ago, and Morgan Hill resident John Varela, who was appointed to the board after Dennis Kennedy had to step off due to illness.

Please read the candidate statements from Cruz and Varela on page 7 in this issue of Gilroy Life.

Gilroy residents will vote in November on Measure H. The measure ballot wording is: “Shall an ordinance be adopted to amend the Gilroy General Plan to add an Urban Growth Boundary line (UGB) to the General Plan Land Use Plan Map, designate lands outside the UGB as Open Space and prohibit urban development on such lands, and provide that (with limited exceptions) such restrictions may not be amended or repealed until December 31, 2040 without a vote of the people?”

Voters will also vote on the county’s Measure A on the ballot, a County of Santa Clara bond measure requiring a two-thirds vote to pass. The measure ballot wording is: “To provide affordable local housing for vulnerable populations including veterans, seniors, the disabled, low and moderate income individuals or families, foster youth, victims of abuse, the homeless and individuals suffering from mental health or substance abuse illnesses, which housing may include supportive mental health and substance abuse services, shall the County of Santa Clara issue up to $950 million in general obligation bonds to acquire or improve real property subject to independent citizen oversight and regular audits?”

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority put Measure B on the ballot as a sales tax requiring a two-thirds vote to pass.

The measure’s ballot wording is: “To relieve traffic, repair potholes; shall VTA enact a 30-year half-cent sales tax to:

• Repair streets, fix potholes in all 15 cities;
• Finish BART extension to downtown San Jose, Santa Clara;
• Improve bicycle/pedestrian safety, especially near schools;
• Increase Caltrain capacity, easing highway congestion, improving safety at crossings;
• Relieve traffic on all 9 expressways, key highway interchanges;
• Enhance transit for seniors, students, disabled; Mandating annual audits by independent citizens watchdog committee to ensure accountability?”

Marty Cheek