Many questions about district elections
Dear Morgan Hill City Council,
At the City Council meeting on June 7, you decided on your own to change to District elections for Council members.
You had a very clear example that our residents will step forward on short notice and at a challenging time of the year to prepare applications and attend interview sessions. Over 20 well-qualified residents expressed their interest in filling the vacancy left by Gordon Siebert at the end of last year.
Yet you claimed that the short time period and challenging time of the year prevented you from forming a Citizen Advisory Committee. So your direction to staff is to support workshops (which currently have no definition). Historically, most public comment at your meetings and workshops are one-way input to you, not actual discussion and debate.
If a district has no candidates, does the council do an appointment? If so, would that be the same process that was used to replace Mr. Siebert?
When you have formed districts, under what conditions could we still be sued for bias?
How will district boundaries evolve over time? Does this become an issue with the city’s Residential Development Control System?
What is the definition of equitable representation?
Who represents those who are financially insecure?
Who represents those who live in apartments or mobile home parks?
Given the very different levels of resident involvement in our last election campaign and the following appointment process, we should have had a city-wide discussion on how to get more residents involved in selecting who decides how our city operates. Instead, we get a mandate
from council to go to district elections for council members.
More than once, Council member Rich Constantine stated that the city had done nothing wrong. Yet you chose to be stampeded by the lawyer trolls. And it was a choice for you to make, even though you claimed that the outcome was forced on you by the cost/benefit analysis.
Thank you for your consideration,
Doug Muirhead
Morgan Hill
Thanks for promoting WorkAbility
The Morgan Hill Unified School District WorkAbility/TPP office would like to take a moment and thank those business who have signed on to open their doors to our students to assist them in learning and practicing new job skills. Please patronise these merchants and thank them for giving back to our community.
If your business is interested in investing in the youth of Morgan Hill in this way, please give us a call at (408) 201-6300 ex. 42217. The student’s salary and workers compensation insurance are paid by the district, so it is a win-win!
The following businesses have signed on so far: Ace Hardware/Johnson Nursery, Advance Haircuts, Bargain Hunters Outlet, Community Garage and Towing/Ponzinis, Goodwill of Silicon Valley, Granada Theatre / Willow Heights Mansion, GVA Cafe, Made in Japan/Europe/USA, Massive Sounds with DJ Guy, Maurizio’s, Morgan Hill Foods, Prova California Table, Rosy’s at the Beach, St. Vincent de Paul’s Thrift Shop, TJ Maxx, Top Knot Salon and YMCA/CRC.
WorkAbility I and the Transition Partnership Program of Morgan Hill Unified is a program for high school students in special education. For five weeks beginning June 19, a group of 14- to 21-year-olds will be hitting Morgan Hill for some Community Based Instruction (CBI).
The purpose of CBI is to promote each student’s community knowledge through instruction, participation and real world experience.
CBI combines functional academics, social skills and job skills. Students practice essential life skills like how to purchase items, order lunch and make sure they have received the correct change. They learn how to dress for work, fill out time cards complete with proper signature, and how to be independent and confident in their community.
We hope to meet you while we are out and about this summer!
Catherine Cano
MHUSD Job Developer
