After a thorough grilling of dozens of applicants, the Morgan Hill City Council unanimously appointed attorney and local native Caitlin Robinett Jachimowicz to the vacant fifth seat on the dais.
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Jachimowicz, 32, boasts a resume long on education as well as policymaking, public service and legal experience. A former intern for the Santa Clara County Counsel’s office, law clerk for the District Attorney’s Office and congressional assistant for Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Jachimowicz has been a criminal attorney at the San Jose-based Jachimowicz/Pointer law firm since 2014.
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She has been a volunteer member of the county’s Parks and Recreation Commission since 2011, but she began preparing her resignation letter the morning after her appointment to the Morgan Hill council.
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Jachimowicz will be sworn in at the council’s Jan. 25 meeting. She said Thursday she is “thrilled (and) very honored” to be appointed to the seat, which was left vacant with Gordon Siebert’s resignation Dec. 8.
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“I’m excited that young families will have a voice on the council,” said Jachimowicz, who is married and has a toddler daughter. “As a product of Morgan Hill, and Morgan Hill schools, I feel honored that I can be a role model for young people.”
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Jachimowicz rose to the top of a field of 30 residents who applied for the vacant council seat earlier this month. Each applicant was first interviewed by the current four council members at the Jan. 11 meeting. Then the officials narrowed down the field to the top four applicants, who were invited for continued, extensive interviews before the public at the Jan. 18 meeting.
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In addition to Jachimowicz, the council also invited applicants Danielle Davenport, Carol Fredrickson and John McKay to the Jan. 18 follow-up interviews.
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These top four faced pointed questioning from the council about their decision-making process, the value they place on public opinion, their priorities for the future of Morgan Hill and their thoughts on water conservation, among other topics.
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Jachimowicz told the council that if appointed, her background and experience would allow her to “open up doors to demographics that are not as involved in city government,” such as young people and young families.
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When asked by Mayor Pro Temp Larry Carr what she thinks is the role of a council member, she said it is chiefly to pay close attention to the input of the public and city staff, and balance this information in order to make the right decision. Sometimes, she said, the council might have to solicit the input of an impartial third party such as a nonprofit organization.
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“A true leader is someone who pulls from the expertise of the people around them,” Jachimowicz said.
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Some of her answers echoed previously stated views of longtime council members. She said the city is “on the right track” with the redevelopment of downtown, and public safety—particularly traffic—would be her top priority as a council member.
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A 2010 graduate of Santa Clara University School of Law, Jachimowicz said of her legal experience, “I have developed a kindness and softness, but also a strength I didn’t have seven years ago,” when she began her legal career. “I have a more realistic view of the world and what people expect. That toughness of being an attorney is what I would bring.”
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She said later in the Jan. 18 interview that her work with Lofgren, who represents the district that includes Morgan Hill, from 2010 to 2011 was an “invaluable” experience that taught her how “tenacious” one has to be to bring about progress through policymaking.
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When asked why she didn’t run for election to one of two council seats on the Nov. 8 ballot, Jachimowicz said she didn’t want to put her family through a lengthy and time-consuming campaign. But she said she “always knew (she) would be a leader in Morgan Hill.”
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“I think I am doing my best to lean in for my daughter and for other young women in Morgan Hill,” Jachimowicz said.
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Jachimowicz grew up in Morgan Hill and attended local public schools, but moved away for college and her early career. She and her family moved back to town a little more than a year ago.
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She added Thursday that she is looking forward to jumping into her new council seat just prior to the body’s annual two-day goal-setting retreat later this month. “I’m excited to get down to business and learn as much as I can and be effective,” she said.
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Tough decision
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After interviewing the top four council applicants for more than three hours Jan. 18, Mayor Steve Tate asked his colleagues to write down their top two and submit them to the deputy city clerk. Jachimowicz was the only name that appeared on all four council members’ lists.
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Before taking a formal vote, council members thanked all the applicants for wanting to get involved, and commented on the difficulty of the decision to pick just one.
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“We clearly picked the right four candidates to come back,” Carr said. “They all have very high character, their qualifications are sound and there is no question of ethics. Everyone of you has demonstrated your interest in public service.”
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Jachimowicz will serve the remainder of Siebert’s term, which expires in 2018. She said she hasn’t decided if she will run in the next regularly scheduled election for the seat in November 2018.
