Although he sees his construction management experience as a
potential asset to the Morgan Hill School Board, candidate Bob
Griesinger believes he has other qualities to benefit the district.
Griesinger said he could step into the role of board member quite
easily.
Although he sees his construction management experience as a potential asset to the Morgan Hill School Board, candidate Bob Griesinger believes he has other qualities to benefit the district.
Griesinger said he could step into the role of board member quite easily.
“I kind of do that naturally,” he said. “Being focused on how the community is functioning, part of that comes from coaching. I let that flow into my daily life and use the same philosophy in my work ethic. When you are actually making a decision, you have to make a decision for the good of all not just the few.”
Griesinger is a volunteer football coach at Live Oak High.
In making decisions for the good of all, Griesinger said, sometimes you have to make hard decisions, something he frequently faces in his professional capacity. He said he believes that making decisions that benefit a small group of people and not the whole can cause problems.
“One example is the way the board proceeded with Sobrato,” he said. “There was a big push to do it, but they overlooked some issues like the land. They pushed ahead because of a vocal few; if they’d slowed the whole process down they could have avoided some mistakes … Right now, they have a new pool, and they have a new pool at Live Oak. Maybe they could have waited a year or two on the Sobrato pool.”
Griesinger said he thinks the district needs to look at sharing facilities between the two high schools.
“People are already looking at it as if we have two high schools; it’s not, it’s a high school and a satellite facility,” he said. “I’m for a little flexibility, a little creative interaction until we get both facilities open and going.”
It is important, Griesinger said, to make sure the district and the board deliver on the promise made to voters when the bond to build the high school, renovate Live Oak and build Barrett was passed.
“As a board member, I will not only promote the growth of all our schools, but I will do everything in my power to complete the bond requirements,” he said.
It was this belief – that the promises made to voters have not yet been fulfilled – that spurred Griesinger into a decision to run for a seat on the board.
“I had a gut feeling it was the right thing to do,” he said. “And at the time, I receive a lot of public interest, people in the community were talking, because I can make the difference, because I have the knowledge to make the hard decisions and have a positive impact on the district. I believe I have the ability to bring people together, to take something that is a mess and make it something that is acceptable.”
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at md****@**************es.com or phoning (408) 779-4106 ext. 202
