Larry Carr has served on the Morgan Hill City Council for nearly 20 years—preceded by four year as an elected school board member—but he says his motivation to continue public service hasn’t changed.
“I have the same principles now that I had back then,” said Carr, who has lived in Morgan Hill since 1972. “My interests, my passions are all about Morgan Hill, making Morgan Hill the best it can be, and hanging on to what we’ve got. I know what Morgan Hill was like when I was a kid, and I want to make sure kids today have that as well.”
Carr, 51, is seeking his sixth term on the Morgan Hill City Council in the Nov. 3 election. It is the first election he has run within the current by-district system, which the council adopted in 2017.
Going into his next term, if elected, his top priority on the council would be to continue dealing with the local impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The public health crisis has decimated the city’s revenues and clobbered small businesses, and many fear the worst is yet to come.
“I’m sure we’d all like to talk about some long-range things, but this is what is staring us in the face, and we have to deal with it,” Carr said.
He said the city has been “very proactive” responding to Covid-19 since March. Carr himself—with the help of fellow Councilmember John McKay—drafted a plan for the city’s economy and how to recover from the pandemic. The plan addressed issues such as how to safely open up retail stores and work with property owners to allow their commercial tenants to move outdoors.
“Our plan said, let’s be ready and start these things now, because when the state and county say we can reopen, we don’t want the city to be the one that holds this up,” Carr said.
Carr added that the full financial impact of Covid-19 has likely not been seen yet, and the council will have to work diligently to ensure Morgan Hill is part of broader relief efforts.
Carr listed several items approved by the council in the last four years that he is especially proud of. The hiring of new city staff, particularly City Manager Christina Turner, has been a highlight.
He also touted the council’s work improving downtown Morgan Hill, the “heart and soul” of the community. Carr—who has a son and daughter in college—was also pleased the council approved an ordinance he authored in 2019 that prohibited sales of vaping devices and accessories in Morgan Hill.
Throughout his time on the council, Carr has held a career in public affairs. He currently works as the Corporate Director of State & Local Government Relations for the Albertsons Companies, Inc.
