With three days left before the Nov. 2 election, citizens who
haven
’t already voted are marking their sample ballots, getting ready
for the most expensive election in U.S. presidential history.
Interest is so high in Santa Clara County that the Registrar of
Voters says 80 percent of eligible voters have registered, an
all-time high of 865,271 and the Registrar e
xpects a turnout of 70-75 percent.
With three days left before the Nov. 2 election, citizens who haven’t already voted are marking their sample ballots, getting ready for the most expensive election in U.S. presidential history.
Interest is so high in Santa Clara County that the Registrar of Voters says 80 percent of eligible voters have registered, an all-time high of 865,271 and the Registrar expects a turnout of 70-75 percent.
A record 25 percent of the 865,271 have requested absentee ballots. There may be delays in final results for close races because of the added time needed to check signatures on absentee ballots against records on file at the Registrar’s office.
Here’s a roundup of who’s on the ballots:
City Offices
For the first time since Morgan Hill began to elect a mayor, the incumbent mayor has a challenger. Councilman Greg Sellers, first elected in 1998, hopes to take over the mayor’s job from Dennis Kennedy, who is seeking his fifth two-year term.
The main issue dividing the two is style. Kennedy, 66, says he is deliberate, “steady as she goes” with successes behind him. Sellers, 43, says it’s time for a change and that he offers a new dynamic energy, particularly to punch up a lagging downtown.
Five candidates are hoping for one of two open four-year spots on the City Council.
Larry Carr, 35, wants a second term to work on his chief issues: housing (including affordable), economic development and education. He previously served on the school board.
Allan Abrams, 47, early on joined the fray trying to keep the city from adding a car dealership on East Dunne Avenue, near his Rosemary Circle neighborhood. This is his chief issue and one that has resonated throughout the campaign. Abrams has led a campaign almost exclusively by e-mail.
Mark Grzan, 53, is a long-time council watcher who is devoted to protecting Morgan Hill’s open space and environment and very much a fiscal conservative.
Julia Starling, 70, wants more for seniors and young people to do around town and would work to improve communication between council and community.
The fifth candidate, Kelly Bell Kubica said early in the campaign that she was against the car dealership and wants more development downtown. She also lives in the Diana Avenue/Rosemary Circle area. Because of medical problems she did not take part in candidate forums or offer more information.
Two term Councilwoman Hedy Chang decided not to try for a third term.
The winners will join Steve Tate on the council. If Sellers wins the mayor’s job, his council seat would become vacant; council would have to decide how to fill the remaining two years. Possibilities include council interviewing applicants and choosing among them, taking the third highest vote-getter or holding a special election, unlikely because of the high cost – estimated to be $117,860.
Irma Torrez is running for another term as city clerk and Michael Roorda for city treasurer, both unopposed for these four-year terms.
Council members decided Wednesday that a tie vote in a race with more than two people running would be decided with a special election. A tie in a race with only two people would be broken by drawing straws in front of the Secretary of State. Councilman Steve Tate voted against the resolution because he thought the cost of a special election would be a burden on the already burdened city budget.
Council also decided what to do if a true tie vote were to occur in any upcoming election. If only two candidates were vying for an office, the tie would be broken with a drawing of straws before the Secretary of State. If more than two candidates were running for an office, there would be a special election.
The Registrar of Voters estimates a special election for Morgan Hill would cost the city $117,860, less if the election coincided with a more regional election. Councilman Steve Tate voted no, saying he thinks spending such money unnecessary in a time of tight budgets.
Councilmen Greg Sellers and Larry Carr and Mayor Dennis Kennedy voted yes saying they thought the voters would want a voice. Councilwoman Hedy Chang is still recovering from surgery.
School Board
Also on the ballot Tuesday are six candidates vying for three seats on the Morgan Hill Board of Education. Board President George Panos and Trustees Jan Masuda and Del Foster are not running for re-election.
The fourth open seat, which was vacated by former Trustee Tom Kinoshita when he resigned in March, was filled by the appointment of long-time district volunteer and boardwatcher Don Moody. He will fill the two years remaining on Kinoshita’s seat.
The candidates running for the three four-year terms are: Mike Davenport, Bob Griesinger, Julia Hover-Smoot, Peter Mandel, Kathleen Sullivan and Harlan Warthen.
Major issues the candidates have focused on in public forums and in interviews include Coyote Valley, the hiring of a new superintendent, the academic performance of students in the district and the financial status of the district.
The Coyote Valley Specific Plan is being developed by a task force of mostly San Jose officials and will be voted on by the San Jose City Council. The entire area is within the Morgan Hill School District, which extends from San Martin to Bernal Road in south San Jose.
The six candidates agreed more data is necessary before the board decides whether to jettison the Coyote Valley area, although two of the candidates, Hover-Smoot and Warthen, have said they favor keeping the district its current size, should additional data support that conclusion.
The search for the new superintendent, necessary now that Superintendent Carolyn McKennan will not seek renewal of her contract which expires June 30, is something all candidates agreed should be a major focus of the new board.
Other offices
John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, has represented Morgan Hill and San Martin in the 21st Assembly district for one two-year term. He said Gov. Schwarzenegger signed more of his bills than almost any other freshman legislator. Bills included significant work on environmental protection, education, transportation, water policy, insurance, civil rights, labor and employment and children’s health.
Laird’s Republican opponent, Jack Barlich, the mayor of Del Rey Oaks, has been ill and not able to campaign.
The 15th State Senate district boundaries follow new lines, since its redistricting goes into effect with this election. Abel Maldonado is a Republican assemblyman from Santa Maria who has been mayor and a councilman in that city. He describes himself as a moderate bridge builder.
His Democratic opponent, Peg Pinard, is a longtime San Luis Obispo councilwoman, mayor and supervisor. She grew up in San Jose and graduated from Santa Clara University. Pinard is known in her county as the woman who made Unocal clean up the polluted Avila Beach and Guadalupe when the regional water board could not.
The other four-year race is over the 11th Congressional district, with five-term Congressman Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, on the ballot for a sixth two-year term. He is chairman of the powerful House Resources Committee.
Jerry McNerney, a Pleasanton wind energy engineer, says he opposes Pombo’s positions on environmental protection, gun control, tax policy for corporations and regular citizens, reproductive choice and Iraq. He has not held elective office.
Carol Holzgrafe covers City Hall for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at ch********@*************es.com or phoning (408) 779-4106 Ext. 201.
Voting information
Polls will be open Tuesday, Nov. 2 from 7am to 8pm
Find a polling location on the back cover of the Sample Ballot, or online at www.sccvote.org or www.smartvoter.org
Absentee ballots may still be obtained by visiting the Registrar of Voters Office, 1555 Berger Dr., Bldg. 2, San Jose
Filled-out absentee ballots must be turned into polling places by 8pm on Election Day
Contact the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters at: 299-VOTE (8683)
Find out whom The Times endorsed, and why, at www.morganhilltimes.com/ Voting results will be posted at the same website after the polls close Tuesday night and later as they become available.
Nonpartisan info on all candidates and measures: www.smartvoter.org and www.easyvoter.org
