Three candidates running for mayor and council seats have
declared intention to run
Morgan Hill – Monday marked the first day that candidates interested in running for local office could pull papers to have their names placed on the November ballot.
In the city races, Morgan Hill Councilman Steve Tate has been the only one to announce his candidacy for mayor of Morgan Hill. Current Mayor Dennis Kennedy announced in May that he would not seek re-election.
Tate said he has pulled the candidate papers, which were made available on Monday, and plans on turning everything in once he collects a few more signatures and writes his candidate statement.
Tate said while he has heard rumors of others who may potentially run, no one has officially announced his or her candidacy.
Along with the mayor’s seat, two other city council seats are also up for election – currently occupied by Councilman Greg Sellers and Tate.
Sellers announced his intent to seek re-election in May and will join longtime community activist Alex Kennett who will run for the second seat.
Kennett turned in his papers on Wednesday.
Like the mayoral race, Sellers and Kennett are the lone candidates for the two council seats who have publicly announced their intent to run.
Sellers said he plans to turn in his paper work by early next week.
According to Irma Torrez, city clerk for Morgan Hill, only Tate, Kennett and Sellers have pulled the paperwork to run for office.
Sellers said he encourages others to throw their hats into the ring, but they should realize that being on the council requires a lot of time.
“It is a lot of work,” Sellers said. “Anyone who does want to run, I encourage that they not take it lightly. The work extends far beyond sitting in the meetings sharing your thoughts.”
No candidates for the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Education had declared their intent to run for office as of Friday.
Board of Education President Mike Hickey and Trustees Shelle Thomas, Amina Khemici and Don Moody, appointed to fill the second half of former Trustee Tom Kinoshita’s term when he stepped down in March 2004, are up for re-election.
“Our public schools continue to be the centerpiece of our community, and the education of our children remains our number one priority,” said Superintendent Alan Nishino in a written press release encouraging the public to run for the school board seats. “Being a part of your local school board allows you to truly make a difference in students’ lives.”
Candidates for the four seats have until Aug. 11 to pick up, complete and file their paperwork, according to Sue Tefft, election division coordinator for the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. Candidates are not required to collect signatures but must complete forms, she added.
If an incumbent doesn’t seek re-election the filing period is extended for five days to Aug. 18.
It doesn’t cost anything to file papers to run for office. However, candidates who would like to submit a 200-word candidate statement will have to pay $1,760.
All four of the trustees occupying the seats up for grabs have served just one term on the board. The three remaining trustees – Julia Hover-Smoot, Kathy Sullivan and Peter Mandel – were elected in 2004 and will serve until 2008.
During the 2002 election, Thomas, Hickey and Khemici ran against seven other candidates for their seats. Incumbent Kinoshita was re-elected, but resigned two years later, and Moody was appointed to replace him.
Thomas, Khemici and Hickey ran on a platform of change, answering the demand from a community distrustful of the school district.
When Hover-Smoot, Sullivan and Mandel joined the board two years later, the board appeared to enjoy unprecedented accord. New superintendent Nishino was hired, after the contract of former Superintendent Carolyn McKennan was not renewed.
It seems as though the “honeymoon” is over, as several flare-ups during recent board meetings plus confusion over Nishino’s contract extension and raise – and a Brown Act violation in the process – have made it apparent that the original harmony of the board has been shattered.
Two of the trustees are still considering whether they will run for re-election.
“I haven’t made anything official yet,” Hickey said, and Thomas also said she was still thinking about running.
“At this time, I have not made my decision,” she said.
Moody is on vacation and could not be reached for comment.
Khemici also did not return calls for comment.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at
md****@*************es.com.
Cheeto Barrera is an intern for The Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 or at cb******@*************es.com.
