Morgan Hill – City council candidate Marby Lee said local politics were more exciting 10 years ago.
“It wasn’t always pretty, but at least there was debate on the issues. I don’t feel like that’s happening now,” Lee said. “I think that’s why I decided to run.”
A few years ago, she remembers going to a city council meeting where the issue was adding the Ford dealership on Dunne Avenue west of Highway 101.
“When you have a council chamber filled up with 30 or 40 people saying ‘We’re concerned with this,’ I question whether that was the best place to put it,” Lee said.
This year, Lee said the council’s been like a “rubber stamp,” with little or no debate on issues.
“There’s got to be more opinions in town … But with everything decided 5-0, there’s only one point of view being represented on the council”
Lee, 40, is one of five candidates vying for two open council spots in the Nov. 7 election. She faces Chris Borello, Alex Kennett, Al Tervalon and City Councilman Greg Sellers. On election day, she hopes voters see her as someone who would not just “go with the flow.”
The issues she’s most concerned over are public safety and fiscal responsibility.
“As someone who runs her own business, I know you need to make money before you can spend money,” said Lee, who became a freelance graphic designer after working for companies such as Cisco. “It concerns me we are running deficits, and we have built recreation centers that are very nice, and people wanted them, but the fact is we’re not making enough money to sustain them.”
Lee grew up in West Chester, Los Angeles, and later earned a degree in graphic communication from Cal Poly. In 1990, she moved to San Mateo. After meeting her husband in 1995, she came to Morgan Hill.
