We
’re glad to see a real race for the seats on the Morgan Hill
School Board and City Council that will be on the Nov. 2
ballot.
We’re glad to see a real race for the seats on the Morgan Hill School Board and City Council that will be on the Nov. 2 ballot.
With no incumbents seeking re-election to the school board, newcomers Peter Mandel, Kathy Sullivan, Julia Hover-Smoot, Michael Davenport, Harlan Warthen and Bob Griesinger are vying for three seats with four-year terms. No one filed to complete former Trustee Tom Kinoshita’s term, which has two years remaining.
On the city side, five candidates are seeking two seats on the City Council. Mark Grzan, Kelly Bell Kubica, Julia Starling and Allan Abrams are newcomers hoping to win a seat at the City Council dais. Incumbent Larry Carr is seeking re-election. Council member Hedy Chang decided not to seek another term.
Mayor Dennis Kennedy is challenged by Councilman Greg Sellers, who is in the middle of a four-year term. Voters decide on the mayor every two years.
Unfortunately, there are two uncontested races for the Gavilan Community College school board. Incumbents Tom Breen and Leonard Washington will face no challengers in the upcoming race and won’t appear on the ballot. Incumbent Mark Dover is being challenged by Manly Willis.
Perhaps the lack of candidates is a sign that most people in the Gavilan district are pleased with the direction of the current board, which recently hired new President Steve Kinsella, whose job performance has been widely praised by students, staff and the community.
But voters will get the chance for a vigorous debate about important issues in the school board and council races, and we expect that the candidates will speak passionately and articulately about them.
Some of the issues we think are most important for the school district include:
• Establishing a positive environment. The distrust between parents and the school board and administration grew to epic proportions during the last year or so. It’s important to re-establish trust, to reopen lines of communication and to re-emphasize the importance of delivering an excellent education to Morgan Hill students. How will each of the candidates make this important change?
• Finding a new superintendent. Carolyn McKennan’s has decided not seek a new contract, meaning she will leave the district at the end of June. Trustees ought to be moving posthaste to begin the process of hiring a replacement. What criteria will each of the candidates use to evaluate McKennan’s potential successors?
• Holding district administrators accountable. The school board has earned a reputation for rubber-stamping administration proposals and for not asking hard questions or insisting on reliable answers. How will the candidates avoid that trap?
The issues facing the city are just as critical:
• Balancing the budget. The city plans to dip into reserve funds to balance the budget for the next few years. How do the candidates propose to improve revenue and decrease expenses to minimize the drain on the city’s rainy day savings?
• Establishing an atmosphere of trust. The fallout from the city’s recent scandal includes allegations of Brown Act violations and unwise spending decisions made behind closed doors. How will the candidates make sure the public’s business is conducted in public from now on?
• Prioritizing RDA funds. The city’s wish list for its dwindling RDA funds far outstrips the money available. How will candidates make important spending decisions that will impact this community for decades?
The two groups have some issues in common:
• Improving city-school district relations. As the tension surrounding the construction of Sobrato High School made painfully clear, the city and school district don’t always get along. How will candidates (for both panels) improve the relationship?
• Finding a voice on Coyote Valley development. Plans for moving up to 80,000 people into the region that falls within MHSD and Gavilan College’s borders are moving full steam ahead with no formal input from affected bodies. How will candidates make sure Coyote Valley development doesn’t harm their constituents?
Now’s the time for voters to consider what’s important to them, to learn each candidate’s positions on the issues, and then, to register and vote on Nov. 2.
An informed, engaged electorate that holds its representatives accountable for their decisions is the most important step in creating good government and excellent schools.
