TALKING IN PUBLIC I don
’t know how to go about speaking at City Council or Morgan Hill
Unified School Board and, because I don’t know how, I have never
spoken. Can you tell me how?
TALKING IN PUBLIC
I don’t know how to go about speaking at City Council or Morgan Hill Unified School Board and, because I don’t know how, I have never spoken. Can you tell me how?
Well, yes, we most certainly can since between our education reporter Marilyn Dubil and our City Hall reporter Carol Holzgrafe, The Times is present at each and every board and council meeting. Nothing slips by them.
Dubil, says that to speak at school board meetings, pick up a speaker card from the lobby outside the board room, fill it out and give it to Julie Zintsmaster, who sits at the end of the table on the left side of the room next to the superintendent. It is perfectly proper to walk up during the meeting to give her a card.
If the speaker wants to address an issue not on the agenda, the speaker will be called during the public comment section near the meeting’s start. If the issue is on the agenda, the speaker will be called at the beginning of the item, before the board addresses it.
Once the board has begun addressing it, however, a speaker will not be called if he/she brings up a card. So, if you want to speak to an issue, whether on the agenda or not, get the card in early. There are two different kinds of public speaking at council meetings. Near the start of every meeting (before 7:30pm) the mayor will ask if anyone wishes to speak to council on issues not on that night’s agenda. The mayor will call your name from the yellow speaker card you filled out and gave to the person taking minutes, usually City Clerk Irma Torrez. The cards are on the table just inside the chambers door.
The second chance to speak is on each agenda item when it comes up. The mayor will again ask for public opinion and will read from the yellow cards already filled out and turned in. If you didn’t fill out a card, just raise your hand during the public opinion period and ask to speak. You can fill out the card later.
Unless otherwise noted, each speaker gets three minutes. The cards are to help Torrez know who spoke, for the minutes, and help staff members answer your questions later, if necessary.
Where is TJ’s?
Hi Red Phone. I just wanted to tell you that you do such a great job and keep it up please! I hope you can shed some light on the answers I have gotten concerning Trader Joe’s coming to South County.
I was told the Morgan Hill city planner flat out told them no. I live in Gilroy and would love to have them here. I’m told the City Council does not want them in Gilroy. Is this a political plan to keep a great grocery store with many unique items, organic and otherwise, reasonably priced, out? I don’t understand. Trader Joe’s would be a great asset. C’mon folks. Thanks Red Phone and keep up the good work. I’m glad you’re here.
Thanks for the compliments, caller. The Red Phone checked with City Manager Ed Tewes to get the scoop.
“The City of Morgan Hill is very interested in locating a specialty grocery store similar to or exactly like Trader Joe’s,” Tewes said.
A number of locations in Morgan Hill are already zoned and entitled to allow that to happen, Tewes said, adding that the city rezoned an area near Cochrane Road within the last three months for such a store. City officials and property owners have contacted Trader Joe’s and other stores.
“I can say that specialty grocery stores are interested in Morgan Hill,” Tewes said. “I can’t say on what time frame.”
That being said, Gilroy’s Economic Development Corp. Interim Director Jane Howard said she spoke with vice president of real estate at Trader Joe’s, who said that “neither Gilroy, Hollister nor Morgan Hill are in the running right now.”
The reason? Trader Joe’s looks especially close at population density, usually preferring 100,000 people within a three-mile radius. The company also looks at demographics such as college education.
In that area, they prefer 60 percent of adults to have a college education. Right now, none of the three cities meet those demographic criteria and Trader Joe’s prefers not to do regional stores.
“At this time, they don’t have any immediate plans for the area, but they may look at us again in the future,” Howard said.
n The Red Phone sounds off Saturday in The Times.
We invite you to call us 24/7 to ask questions, report a complaint, give us a tip, offer an amusing tale of the short variety or just want people to know about something to do with Morgan Hill and the surrounding territory. We’ll check it out and have the answer in an upcoming column.
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Well, do we have a solution for you! Now you can sneak onto www.morganhilltimes.com, click the Red Phone icon and quietly e-mail your comments. Or E-mail direct to redphone@ morganhilltimes.com
