Julia Starling has a fairly simple way of looking at City
Council
’s role, and it could well strike a chord with voters.
Julia Starling has a fairly simple way of looking at City Council’s role, and it could well strike a chord with voters.
Communicate, communicate, communicate, she says and, if council is not clear, “put it on the ballot.”
At a time when the current council has been under fire for making a decisions that caused some citizens to band together and demand that council vote their way, Starling’s habit of talking to everybody she meets about every issue could be helpful.
“I talk a lot and I get a lot of input,” Starling, a 70-year-old retiree, said last week.
The idea of adding one or more new auto dealerships to the Walnut Grove area (on East Dunne next to Courtesy Chevrolet) is good and bad.
“We can handle one more,” Starling said, “The revenue is good but residents don’t want them in their backyard.”
She did not say in whose backyard they should locate but most candidates favor Cochrane/101 interchange, a site that most auto dealers have rejected.
Budget shortfalls, reaching $1.2 million, plus the need for increased revenue were the driving factor behind the city wooing auto dealerships. Council has voted to spend its carefully hoarded reserves down to 25 percent by the end of its 5-year plan. Starling said she agrees with that.
“We should keep 20-25 percent for emergencies,” she said.
Starling’s top priority issues are controlling the auto district, restaurants and Safeway.
“We don’t want any more fast food places,” she said. “We want more health food places instead and don’t need another Safeway.”
Coyote Valley development will have a huge impact on Morgan Hill, she said and could be good if handled properly.
“Without even knowing anything about it, I believe San Jose needs to give us more; we need to get somebody (from Morgan Hill) involved in that,” she said. “But I don’t think we should sue. It’s going to happen; it’s a matter of us being involved.”
As a council member, would she do what she thinks is best or what the residents want?
“Sometimes you have to be able to bend,” Starling said. “Sometimes you have to do what’s best for the city; you can’t please everybody.”
Starling said she wasn’t too familiar yet with the city’s greenbelt plans and several other major issues.
“But I’ll learn,” she said.
Starling retired nine years ago from her career as an eligibility worker for the Santa Clara County Department of Social Services. After commuting to San Martin from her home in San Jose for years, she entered her name in a “sweat-equity” lottery and, to her surprise, won.
“Not in my wildest dream did I think I would own my own home,” Starling said. “I was ecstatic.”
Two of her four children – whom she raised as a single parent – were still at home at the time; now she entertains her grandchildren.
Starling was so impressed with South County Housing, that operated the lottery and runs most of Morgan Hill’s affordable housing projects, that she joined its board of directors.
Starling, who looks considerably younger than her age, said she is running to give back to her community.
“My life’s been so full and I’ve been so fortunate, I can be a voice for people who don’t have time to get involved, like seniors and stay-at-home mothers,” she said. “I’m not a politician but I can learn about issues.”
Starling says she gets joy from working with children and all kinds of people and loves working as a part-time yard supervisor at El Toro School. Would she run again?
“I would if I do a good job and if the people insisted,” she said.
