Letters to the editor: No on Measure S, Big money in small town election

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Don’t litter

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My son and I were on our way to Gilroy on Wednesday and saw a garbage truck coming down Burnett Avenue, with papers flying out of the truck. We turned onto Monterey Road and saw papers all up and down the road. Something needs to be done about this.

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Thank you.

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Glenda Cox

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Morgan Hill
 

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No on Measure S

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Vote No on Measure S. Measure S increases our current population by nearly 40 percent without consideration to sustainability. The proposed population cap of 58,200 for 2035 is an arbitrary number. Such surges in population will increase demands upon public safety, public works, parks, water, sewage, garbage, schools, etc.  

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It will increase our infrastructure costs and add requirements for new taxes. We cannot maintain the infrastructure we have with a multi-million-dollar deficit, let alone significantly add to our infrastructure and their costs.

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The idea that Measure S will protect our open space is disingenuous and simply a fraud. Measure S does not confine itself to our current city limits. In fact, it specifically sets aside 300 agriculture units for housing. Where did that number come from? That is a loss of open space and precious farmlands. It is urban sprawl of the worst kind.

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The measure is filled with exceptions and is written in a vague and misleading manner to undermine the purpose of our slow growth values.

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Increasing the population to 58,200 from our current 44,000 will also increase noise, pollution, crime, garbage, congestion, traffic, etc. It does not preserve our rural character and country charm. It threatens and impacts our quality of life in a manner we cannot even imagine.

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We have thousands of acres within our current city limits to grow. The state-authorized Local Agency Formation Commission says we have enough land for housing for decades to come. There is no need to expand to farm and ag lands.

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Over the last decade, this council has tried to convert farmlands into housing, spending more than $1 million of public and private funds for just that purpose. As long as incumbents remain in office, our open spaces will be threatened.

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Cautioned repeatedly by environmental groups, the Open Space Authority and the county, this council persists in actions that place our quality of life at risk.

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Come Nov. 8, vote NO on Measure S and elect new leaders whose values are aligned with the community instead of developers and land speculators.

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Mark Grzan

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Former Council Member, General Plan Advisory Committee Member and Mayor Pro Tempore
 

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Big money in small town election

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Election Day is quickly approaching in the most unusual campaign season most of us have ever seen. There is muchat stake—concerning our children’s education and the future direction of our local educational system—in the Morgan Hill Unified School District Race for Area 5.

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I’m particularly concerned about TA 5 because of the extremely large donations to Mr. Tom Arnett, the incumbent trustee. Area 5 is one-seventh of the district. Since June, Mr. Arnett (FPPC # 1383996) has reported, in his publically accessible FPPC filings, campaign donations of $27,000 (from Jan. 1, 2016 through Sept. 2016) from a Washington D.C. group Leadership for Education Equity. (Committee ID # 1346788).

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I am simply stunned! Why is this kind of money being sent to an individual who represents 1/7th of our school district? I have served as a treasurer for several local city council, school board and water district candidates for many years. I have never seen this much money from one donor, for a local school board race, nor any other county-wide race. WHY and WHAT does this Washington D.C. lobby group want in return for this kind of financial support?

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When Tom was asked about donations at the AAUW candidate forum, he replied vaguely that he had received funds of $500-$1,000.00 from people that support children’s education.  Twenty-seven thousand dollars plus other small donations is a record amountof money from one donor headquartered on the other side of the country. This amount is nearly five times the amount raised by any of the other candidates I have ever worked with.

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These filing reports are public record and can be found on the Registrar of Voters Website. In my experience, with both state and local campaigns this money should raise serious questions by all voters in not only Area 5, but throughout our school district. Tom Arnett is new to campaigns and new to living in Area 5. All we know of him is his brief time on the board and his FPPC reports.

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This kind of money infused into the school board leaves me with a very negative impression.

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Swanee Edwards

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Morgan Hill