Dear Editor, At what point do we let go of party lines and worry
about the welfare of the people of this city? The Morgan Hill Times
has endorsed Steve Tate, Gordon Seibert and Rich Constantine who
all have the same ideas.
Council members have it wrong, vote College, Schmidt and Mounteer
Dear Editor,
At what point do we let go of party lines and worry about the welfare of the people of this city? The Morgan Hill Times has endorsed Steve Tate, Gordon Seibert and Rich Constantine who all have the same ideas. Times are difficult right now yet Mr. Tate sees nothing wrong with spending $10 million for the Granada theater worth $2 million or spending $4 million for barely noticeable improvements to Third Street downtown while thinking of closing street lights and reducing police officers to save money.
Mr. Tate believes it is OK to use reserve money to balance the budget. Reserves are for emergencies. What are we going to do if we have a real emergency such as an earthquake, and all the money has been used to balance the budget? When are we going to vote for sensible people to do a sensible job?
At the recent forum, a question was asked to Mr. Tate: “How much will the downtown development cost the city?” His reply was that he was negotiating with the developer. If Mr. Tate uses the same skills that he used to buy the Granada, God help us all. If we really care, let’s vote for competent people: Art College for Mayor, Lee Schmidt and Dave Mounteer for City Council.
Annamarie McDonald, Morgan Hill
Carrillo is the creative, transparent candidate for city council
Dear Editor,
As a rebuttal to your endorsements I would like the public to know that I am a part of the community that needs representation on city council. I am in favor of creating a local sustainable economy without the need for Wall Street.
I have received a letter from the Santa Clara Valley Water District about unauthorized political signs because the Morgan Hill Times falsely stated that the Democratic Party had permission to put signs on district property. I have spoken to a Water District official and found out that no one has permission to put signs on district property.
I believe that I am the most creative, transparent, and green candidate for City Council.
Joseph Carrillo, candidate for city council
Editor’s Note: The Times reported that the Democratic Party had permission from the water district to place signs on city property was based on incorrect information provided by a source.
A vote for Mike Wasserman means a voice for South County
Dear Editor,
I have lived in South County for more than 30 years and honored to be involved in various organizations, director of the Chamber of Commerce, retired business owner, Santa Clara County and Morgan Hill Planning Commission, City Council and past Mayor of Morgan Hill. I received special recognition by our State Legislature and above all I cherish the recognition as Citizen of the Year l988. I’m now retired, but remain concerned and involved to keep South County the special place we all enjoy.
Don Gage, retiring District 1 County Supervisor has served us well and we will miss his guidance and dedication.
Don is endorsing Mike Wasserman to carry on his commitment to keep a strong voice representing our area on the Board of Supervisors.
Additionally, Mike has been endorsed by all local newspapers and an impressive list of endorsements who have confidence in his future representation to our area.
His opponent will likely ignore and disregard our issues by voting his continued allegiance to San Jose.
I along with many concerned citizens and neighbors fully endorse Mike Wasserman to represent South County.
Keep your voice for South County and Vote for Mike Wasserman.
Laurie Barke, Morgan Hill
A vote for Gordon Siebert for city council is a vote for excellence
Dear Editor,
The most qualified candidate for City Council is Gordon Siebert. His qualifications are not his only forte.
I have known him personally for almost 20 years and his personality is one of his greatest strengths.
He listens to you when you speak. He has a pleasant demeanor and you’ll find him to be an excellent addition to our council.
Bernie Mulligan, Morgan Hill
It’s not just about a watchdog, it can happen here
Dear Editor,
The Mayor says the City Manager is given a lot of leeway to conduct our business and when he goes too far they will rein him in (Chamber Candidates Forum Sept. 30). But what if the rein in is done too late and the city and the City Council are put at risk. If you don’t think it could happen take a look at a large financial crisis that occurred in Modesto beginning in the early 1990s. They are still trying to dig out of the hole that was dug there.
Modesto City Council members were warned that the fund for Village I development fees was hemorrhaging money in 1998 – four years before an estimated $47 million shortfall was revealed. At that point, botched collections had left the city with no choice but to waive all fees Village I developers owed, according to a June 1998 memo to council members.
Few council members serving then remembered particulars, though two said the problem played a part in former City Manager Ed Tewes’ departure.
Tewes, now the city manager of Morgan Hill in Santa Clara County, said Thursday he was not prepared to discuss the reasons behind his resignation in 1999. (Modesto Bee June 28, 2002).
Modesto, like most cities in California in the early 1990s created complex financial schemes to jumpstart development. They adopted development strategies that went awry. Development fees were set artificially low and eventually three people, the only three positions in the city that did not report to the City Manager raised their concerns to the City Council. They feared that the amount of money collected was substantially less than needed to build the city obligations for parks, sidewalks, utility infrastructure, etc. The amount needed – $215 million. The amount collected – $49 million. The shortfall – $166 million (source- Modesto Bee Article 02-15-03, “No Crimes Found In Village I”)
The City Council, while they adopted the policies that allowed this under-collecting of fees did not see it coming.
According to the Modesto Beem, three began investigating the Village I problem. It started coming to the council after City Attorney Michael Milich, his assistant, Roland Stevens, and City Clerk Jean Zahr began investigating.
Stevens and Zahr wrote the 1998 memo soon after taking over management of fee collection. The eight-page document reveals a collection system in deep disarray.
Council members agreed in March 1998 to shift responsibility for fee administration to Milich and Zahr. They and their staffs are the only city employees who didn’t answer to the city manager, as spelled out in the City Charter.
Tewes said he disagreed with the decision to shift Village I to the city attorney and city clerk.
“The city attorney argued that the City Charter allowed him to take away (Village I) from the domain of the city manager,” Tewes said. “We disagreed.”
While Tewes acknowledged that there were problems with the administration of Village I during his tenure with the city, he claimed the 1998 memo contained allegations that either were “not true or not true to the extent they were portrayed in the memo.”- (Modesto Bee Article June 28, 2010- Village I Warning Came In ’98).
It’s ironic that our current Mayor, Steve Tate, on the recommendation of our City Manager, Ed Tewes, is pursuing the elimination of an independent City Clerk and City Treasurer. There couldn’t be a more compelling or clearer reason to vote no on Measure P than the city of Modesto’s tragic story. Coincidentally, Steve Tate, a councilman at that time, was on the hiring committee that recruited Mr. Tewes from his vacated position in Modesto.
VOTE NO ON MEASURE P!
Rich Jensen, Morgan Hill
Mayor to address anonymous mailers
Dear Editor,
Three anonymous “mystery mailers” have me feeling very good about my campaign!
They contain out-of-context misinformation and ask recipients to call and question me, resulting in many calls of support; NONE of opposition.
This campaign tactic is inappropriate to Morgan Hill politics, and I am gratified that it is backfiring. The mailers underscore that my leadership, experience, approachability, ethics, enthusiasm and accomplishments are so credible that opponents have to stoop to anonymous, negative “hit pieces” to try to discredit my campaign.
I will be at Hot Java downtown from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to address the mailers and any other questions you may have.
If unable to be there, feel free to call me at 408-621-7377.
Steve Tate, Mayor of Morgan Hill
