Columnists

What an election year this has been. Locally, we’ve seen a noticeable change in the climate of political discourse.There is so much intentional, and I hope unintentional, misinformation out there that it can get difficult for some to a get a handle on the issues.Measure S is the poster child for many of the ills I see in modern Morgan Hill politics (not meaning to diminish other areas of ills). Creating a population cap and how we might get there is tough to do.One thing almost universal is concern for the future. Also universal is the inability to get everyone in a small room to agree, nonetheless an entire community—especially when it comes to our future.We all care about the future of this community. We all care and we put together Measure S to the best of our abilities after what was hundreds of hours of education and discussion for many.The voter initiative that is Measure S may not be perfect but I believe that, except for a few areas where you have to consider the entire document as a whole, it is very well written. Please take it as a whole.What I am now seeing in so many cases regarding Measure S is just a few people saying the same negative thing repeatedly.Much of this discussion is fueled by emotion and misinformation. I don’t usually do this, but I must cite one gross example where a commenter said that Measure S allows 300 units to be developed in agricultural lands. Actually, it states that the development of 300 units in a special “set-aside” can take place within Morgan Hill’s developable areas if there is an equal area protected by an agricultural conservation easement on prime agricultural lands within a specified area.There is a lot of this kind of thing going on so we must be careful about what we hear and verify it for ourselves. Please remember that no matter how comfortable we feel trusting others that they have done their research on an issue, do the hard work of researching important issues and protect your vote; it is your vote, after all.A dear friend once told me you can’t change the minds of those who’ve already made them up, so focus on the ones who agree with you to keep a strong base and accurately inform the undecided.For those that believe Measure S is the right document to help us continue our path into what I think is an incredibly bright future, please speak up and support your discussions liberally with facts.We all care about the future. Guess how I’m voting on Measure S.John McKay is a Morgan Hill resident, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.

HE FOUGHT to blink his eyelids open against the night’s crust of ‘sleep.’ Through the cinched-down opening in the hood of his sleeping bag, he gazed up at a slate gray sky. A new day was about to begin.