Opinion

Deadlock censure vote a sign of disrespectAccording to the dictionary, the verb “recuse” means to withdraw from a position of judging as to avoid any semblance of partiality or bias. Trutee David Gerard recently voted in his own disciplinary reprimand (at the Feb. 2 Morgan Hill Unified School District board of education meeting). Not surprisingly, he voted against the motion. Two of his other board members voted with him to deadlock the board from taking action.Here is the real important story, not the unfortunate incident involving Trustee Rick Badillo and the police. The story is about how three board members did not view the outrageous disrespect shown to Superintendent Steve Betando and their fellow board members to be worthy of censure. They all agreed that using racist and sexist comments as well as encouraging a parent in the recall of Board President Bob Benevento is just satirical fun protected by freedom of speech and not breaking the law.The argument that Mr. Gerard did not expect the emails to become public is a little ridiculous based on the fact he was copying his comments to others and using a MHUSD server.The fact Mr. Gerard saw no ethical problem and did not recuse himself from his own disciplinary action, speaks to why he is still a threat to the good governance of our children. The fact that two of his fellow board members, Mr. Badillo and Trustee Gino Borgioli, are not even willing to censure him for his admitted actions speaks to their acceptance of these violations of education codes and agreed upon board norms as OK.Mr. Gerard gave his verbal apology but took no responsibility for his actions.Instead, he went on about mob mentality and how the attacks on him were orchestrated and not a true reaction of community members to his behavior. He called out names of citizens who reacted to his offensive behavior and claimed they were threatening him. He continues to see himself as the victim and martyr, and refuses to see the damage he is responsible for to this community and the good work MHUSD is trying to do.Censure is not taken lightly. It does not keep the elected official from attending meetings or voting. It monitors and limits the damage the elected official can do when they have violated policies and procedures in a grievous manner. It is a shame three of our board members do not see Mr. Gerard’s violations as being important enough to warrant this step.I wonder if it is because they recognize their complicity in these events since two of these board members were copied on these emails?Kathy Sullivan, Morgan HillTrustee not a victimI went to the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 2 hoping to see David Gerard resign from the board. For the past two months a parade of Morgan Hill residents and district employees have spoken to the board asking, and even demanding, David Gerard's resignation over his despicable and hate filled email messages to some parents and trustees Gino Borgioli and Rick Badillo.Instead, the entire audience at the meeting was subjected to ridiculous arguments by Borgioli and Badillo justifying Mr. Gerard’s horrible behavior and trying to avoid a censure resolution up for a vote before the board.Acting as apologists for Mr. Gerard, these two trustees embarrassed themselves with twisted logic trying to say that Mr. Gerard was entitled to free speech and simply made an error by sending his hateful emails through the district server and that Mr. Gerard never intended for these emails to be published.Unfortunately, Trustee Badillo failed to recognize the fact that, as elected officials, their communications sent through district channels are public records which are open to inspection by the public.Finally, David Gerard made us endure a 27 minute rehash of the other trustees arguments and attempted to make himself look like a victim. Well, let's be very clear about this, Mr. Gerard is no victim and his insulting, hurtful and racist language used to describe his fellow trustees and district staff members have caused a great deal of anger within our community, justifiably aimed at him. Trustees Badillo and Borgioli appear to tacitly condone Mr. Gerard’s horrible behavior by attempting to explain his unacceptable actions as freedom of speech and a mistake.I think most everyone at the board meeting recognized Mr. Gerard’s arguments for what they were: a pathetic attempt to shift blame and attention away from his despicable acts and claim to be a victim of mobbing behavior by members of the community.Apparently, Mr. Gerard will force members of the community to mount a recall campaign against him, culminating in a special election which will cost thousands and thousands of dollars from the district’s general fund.Anyone in the community who has not read the horrible emails that Mr. Gerard wrote needs to educate themselves and read those emails! Community members need to attend upcoming board meetings and demand Mr. Gerard’s resignation. Mr. Gerard is no victim in this and he will ultimately be held accountable for his behavior both in the emails and his refusal to do the right thing and resign.Steven SpencerSan Martin

FINALLY, a free afternoon. You still have a long to-do list, but the heck with it. Everything can wait for a few hours, so you light out for your favorite trail. Good for you. You deserve a break; a bit of quiet solitude.

Friends and Family of Nisei Veterans (FFNV), a Japanese-American WW II veterans organization, will host a meeting 12:30 p.m. Feb. 13, at the rear building of the Morgan Hill Buddhist Community Center, 16450 Murphy Ave. Potluck lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., and the public is invited.  The highlight of this meeting is to feature four speakers on the subject of a legendary segregated Japanese-American unit—the 442nd Regimental Combat Team—rescuing the “Lost Battalion.” The 442nd  RCT, formed in 1943, was initially engaged in Italy and quickly became a formidable and well-respected fighting unit. “Go For Broke” was its motto.  For its size and the length of service, the 442nd  RCT became the highest decorated unit in U.S. Army history with 21 Medal of Honor awards.On Oct. 24, 1944, the 1st Battalion of the 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Division (originally the Texas National Guard), became surrounded and trapped by German forces in the Vosges Mountains, France. The 1st Battalion was deemed “lost” because repeated attempts by 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 141st Infantry Regiment failed to rescue the 1st.  The Division Commander then ordered the 442nd RCT to rescue the “Lost Battalion.” Even though the 442nd RCT just came off bitter battles to liberate nearby towns and thus was severely short of manpower, they smartly saluted and valiantly pressed on. It was another opportunity to prove their loyalty to America after being classified as “enemy alien” after Pearl Harbor. On Oct. 30, after taking extremely heavy casualties, the 442nd RCT broke through and rescued the “Lost Battalion.”Tom Graves, professional photographer and the author of “Twice Heroes”, will introduce other speakers. He will give the overview of the 442ndRCT, and present the importance of the battle to rescue the “Lost Battalion.” He will also comment on why this rescue lives on in history.Franz Steidl, author of “Lost Battalions”, will give an introduction to the regional military situation, military motives behind the battle and its results. He will also make an audiovisual presentation.Al Tortolano (soldier of the 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry, the “Lost Battalion”) will talk about his side of the battle, what his fellow soldiers faced and knew and what they went through before the rescue by the 442RCT.Lawson Sakai (a 442nd RCT vet) will talk about the Regiment itself—its origin and training. He will then focus on his role during the battle to rescue the “Lost Battalion.”Brian ShiroyamaMorgan HillSurvey data in contextThe Times recently published an article about the Godbe Research survey commissioned by the city to gather data to assess the overall perceptions of living in Morgan Hill, to gauge satisfaction with the city’s performance and obtain opinions about a variety of city characteristics. In that article, the following was written:“About 62 percent of survey respondents said they would support an ordinance to update the city’s Residential Development Control System, extending it to 2035 with a population ceiling of 64,600 for that year. The current RDCS or growth control ordinance sets a population cap in Morgan Hill of 48,000 for the year 2020.”The actual language in the survey that resulted in the 62 percent figure reads as follows:“Shall an ordinance to update the city’s voter-approved Residential Development Control System (RDCS) and extend it to 2035, including a population ceiling of 64,600 for the year 2035 (consistent with the current growth rate) and policies to encourage more efficient land use, water conservation, sustainable transit-oriented development, and better implement the existing voter-approved RDCS allotment system, be adopted?”The omission of language from the survey has the potential of creating a false perception of what the 62 percent supports, especially when another part of the survey indicates support for a growth moratorium. Regardless of which side of the growth issue residents favor, it’s important that the information being made available is accurate.Chris MonackMorgan Hill

Super Bowl 50! Claimed to be the biggest single sporting event in the whole wide world, it officially landed in the Bay Area last week. “Stay out of San Francisco” is the word from the people that spend a lot of time there, and expect some big crowds in Santa Clara and San Jose too. This may be a real good time to take advantage of what we have right here.The Super Bowl Host Committee (the all controlling organization promoting the event) has put strict guidelines on what anyone can do with the name “Super Bowl,” so you might see some creative ways of expressing a connection to the big show without saying it.One example is the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley “Super Barrel” Tasting event this Saturday. That has to win the award for the most creative connection to the big event. The wine association did a wonderful job of putting together something special for wine aficionados who will have an opportunity to taste varietals still aging in the barrel. I keep hearing things like how much more fruit you can taste in the young wines and how some wineries are offering wine futures based upon the tastings. Taste a wine and if you like it, try to stake out a claim on a case or two. Ask about it.With the Super Bowl also came an opportunity by the Host Committee to help us get some playful items added to our community. There were a couple of grant opportunities offered that city staff took advantage of and parlayed into some new features in and around the downtown.On Monday a decorated crosswalk was highlighted at the north side of the intersection at Dunne Avenue and Monterey Road. You’ve got to go and see this. Some of the region’s most notable animals are represented, interspersed with grape vines. This whimsical and amusing artwork met the grant’s requirement that a) it be installed by Super Bowl day and b) it be fun. I understand that it was a heck of a push but it is there for all to see right now. Please just try to pay attention while doing so since you may be tempted to stop and take it in.Also unveiled Monday was an example of new wayfinding signage in the downtown. These aren’t just some signs hanging on non-descript posts; they are real pieces of art. The sign posts are very classy and made mostly of wood with directional pointers that indicate where you can go and maybe change your state of mind with directions to “Bright Future”, “Scrumptiousness” and “Divine Dining.”The youth of our community helped with the directions and I hope we can take their lead and follow them. These wayfinding signs also meet that requirement to be fun.Maybe we can learn something from the criteria for these grants: have more fun.Please get out and spend time in the downtown, in all of our city’s fine shopping opportunities, and hit the wineries too. Just get out and enjoy the incredible weather we’re going to have for the next week before the skies open up again.John McKay is a Morgan Hill resident, city planning commissioner, Vice President of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.

So you’ve started 2016 out with a bang. Five weeks in, and you’ve established a regular exercise routine and eaten healthier for the most part. That’s before a Super Bowl party comes along to threaten all the gains you’ve made so far in the new year.

“Jersey Boys” is a show you can see over and over and never tire of the music, story or presentation.

It’s no surprise that our lives have become more hectic and fragmented each day.As part of our daily existence, we look to snippets of information in our community circles. Whether by news reports, friends, family or the increasing dependence on social media to stay connected, small bites of information we receive are the key to staying informed.Some time ago, I started working on specific Facebook Groups and other digital communities to help keep busy folks informed. These concerned the areas that mattered most to others and myself—one of which was our community here in Morgan Hill.  As the founder of the Morgan Hill Community Group Page (MHCG) on Facebook, there was growing need for our residents to have a centralized place to receive rapid information in our community from fellow residents. “By the residents, for the residents” is our credo, without City or government influence. Beyond other current happenings and discussions, topics like growth, crime and where can I find specific goods, services and more, has now become valuable to the group.Over the past year, the Morgan Hill Community Group page on Facebook has experienced growth. The once silent voice of residents is now rising up to engage many topics they previously didn’t have time or a venue for. This new-age way of communicating through social media is something I have advocated for many years. It provides each of us a simplified, fast and low-impact way to share our input in a massive venue.Another interesting aspect of the MHCG page is that more residents are engaging with each other to form smaller sub-social groups that use the page as a conduit for social good. More than once MHCG has joined residents together to save lost pets, help homeless in need and build community around our concerns of city growth. Even Bay Area news channels have fed off the good coming from the Morgan Hill community and MHCG page.While it’s not perfect, it’s shaping to become a catalyst that will change our view on Morgan Hill’s direction and commitment to a better community. In polls placed on the MHCG page, majorities are extremely biased on core areas of growth, city expenditures and lack of resident involvement in large decisions. This socialized communication is the shape of the future, and how the silent majority finds a voice again to reflect what “community” means to them.It’s also easy to envision how this model could allow our City Hall leaders a certified resident “e-vote” system to shape the residents’ desires for our future. This is another important topic I greatly advocate we consider.Being a native of Santa Clara County, I’m proud that our residents have stepped up to the plate recently through the MHCG page on Facebook and made Morgan Hill a community others wish to model. That spirit resides solely in each of those engaged positively in the group and helps make in a small way our Morgan Hill community a wonderful place to live.Steve “Papi” Chappell is a Morgan Hill resident and business owner. He is also a record holding champion in Land Speed Racing and the founder of the Morgan Hill Community Group Page on Facebook, which can be found at facebook.com/groups/MorganHillCommunityGroupPage/.

Limelight Actors Theatre rolls into its sixth year with “Momologues”, an original comedy about Motherhood.