Morgan Hill – During the 1970s, Greg Sellers grew up in one of the few houses in Llagas Valley. There were plenty of acres to roam, but Morgan Hill was quickly growing. By junior year at Live Oak High School, the campus was on double sessions.
“It certainly had a big impact on all of our educational experiences,” said Sellers, 45, who’s bidding for his third four-year term on the Morgan Hill city Council in the Nov. 7 election.
After graduating in 1979 from the crowed school, Sellers earned a degree at bucolic UC Santa Cruz and later worked in San Francisco. But as his hometown continued to grow, he eventually took a job in 1989 as executive director of the Morgan Hill Downtown Revitalization Program, the predecessor to today’s Downtown Association.
“We started the farmers’ market, the Taste of Morgan Hill and eliminated vacant storefronts on Monterey Road. It was a great effort,” Sellers said of the group’s accomplishments.
Sellers currently lives downtown with his wife and four children.
Downtown’s future continues to be a big reason Sellers decided to seek a third term. He currently serves as ex officio member of the Downtown Association’s board, and he looks forward to seeing what he calls the first major surge of development downtown in a generation.
“I think its hard sometimes … people don’t see changes on a daily basis. What excites me most is we’re going to see some changes in the next 36 months, mixed-use projects, new buildings, and it all incorporates smart growth … It’s exciting to see these projects come to fruition.”
After starting a public-policy consulting firm in the 1990s, Sellers originally decided to run for city council when he felt city government wasn’t working as ethically as it should be.
“There was a lot of divisiveness, lack of respect. I think I have a clear understanding of the role of staff and the role of the council,” he said, adding council members should have high standards for city officials, but shouldn’t interfere with their jobs outside of council meetings. “It’s not just what you decide as a council, it’s how you decide things.”
GREG SELLERS
AGE: 45
OCCUPATION: Incumbent; Public-policy consultant
EDUCATION: UC Santa Cruz; Panetta Institute/Cal State University Monterey Bay
BACKGROUND: Two four-year terms on Morgan Hill City Council; former chair of Downtown Plan Update Committee, Indoor Recreation Center Committee; chair of Morgan Hill Community and Economic Development Subcommittee.
ENDORSEMENTS: Morgan Hill Mayor Dennis Kennedy; city council members Larry Carr and Steve Tate; Lori Escobar, executive director of El Toro Youth Center; Santa Clara County Firefighters Association; Morgan Hill Police Officers Association; Sierra Club; Santa Clara County Democratic Club; South Bay Central Labor Council; California League of Conservation Voters; San Jose city council members Nancy Pyle and Cindy Chavez; Former Morgan Hill mayors John Varela and Beth Wyman.
WEB SITE: electgregsellers.com
E-MAIL: se*****@****ic.com
PHONE: (408) 778-2370
Tony Burchyns covers Morgan Hill for The Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 ext. 201 or tburchyns@morganhilltimes.
