Sellers, Lee elected to city council
Morgan Hill – City Councilman Steve Tate will be Morgan Hill’s next mayor after a resounding victory Tuesday over opponent Dennis Delisle.
With all 24 precincts reporting at 1am, Tate received 4,516 votes or 58 percent compared to Delisle’s 3,236 votes, or 42 percent. Tate defeated him 1,280 votes out of 7,752 cast.
“It was a long campaign, it’s finally over and I’m very glad we won,” Tate, 62, said Tuesday night, surrounded by boisterous supporters and election watchers at Rosy’s at the Beach restaurant in downtown Morgan Hill. “I’m looking forward to moving ahead, doing the things we’ve been doing.”
Delisle, 58, an accountant and political outsider making who was making his first bid for public office in Morgan Hill, could not withstand Tate’s 20 years of public service and more than $16,000 spent on a campaign that focussed on fiscal responsibility, enhancing safety services and preserving Morgan Hill’s “small-town feel.” He congratulated his opponent from his home on Wright Avenue, taking solace in the company of friends and family members while tracking disappointing returns.
“I congratulate Steve and I look forward to working with him,” Delisle said. “I think my team did a phenomenal job. To come from where I was to getting (41.7) percent the vote … I think Steve would probably be surprised at how many voters want a new direction for Morgan Hill.”
The candidates were the only ones to throw their hats in the ring to run for mayor in the most watched and commented on race in recent years – there hasn’t been a mayoral race in which outgoing mayor Dennis Kennedy was not a contender since 1996.
In the city council race, incumbent Greg Sellers, 45, easily won his third four-year term while freelance graphic designer Marby Lee, 40, took the other open seat in her first bid for public office in Morgan Hill.
Sellers and Lee received 4,319 votes or 32 percent and 2,857 votes or 21 percent, respectively.
“The reason I ran for a third term was there were a few things we wanted to get done in the next few years,” said Sellers, who was the top vote getter in the five-way council race as of 1am today. “And with Steve’s leadership and a strong council, and validation from the voters that this is the right direction, I am very excited about making significant strides in the next few years.”
Lee, who has lived in Morgan Hill for 10 years, has frequently attended city council meetings this year and has criticized the city’s financial practices, was relieved after her victory appeared certain.
“I think based on what I was campaigning on, budget issues and public safety issues, voters don’t like where we are right now,” Lee said.
Three other candidates ran for city council: Realtor Chris Borello, 25, who received 2,670 votes or 20 percent; business consultant Alex Kennett, who earned 2,244 votes or 17 percent; and computer engineer Al Tervalon, who gathered 1,393 votes or 10 percent.
In the non-partisan race, all seven candidates ran platforms touting fiscal responsibility and downtown revitalization. Republican-backed Lee and Borello – in addition to Delisle, who was not endorsed by a political party – were the most critical of Morgan Hill’s deficit spending in recent years. But with the city on pace to balance its budget and rebuild its reserves, some voters at the polls said experienced leadership was the most important factor in this year’s election.
“I think the ones who are experienced have more of a grasp on the big issues in the city,” said local resident Lori Moniz as she stood in line Tuesday at a polling station on Serene Drive. “Downtown revitalization is what’s steering me toward voting for the more experienced candidates.”
But other voters thought newcomers such as Lee were poised to do a better job.
“Experience is a good thing, but at the same time I’m all for change and giving somebody else a chance,” said Morgan Hill resident Jay Cooper. “Let somebody else try. I won’t be voting for incumbents.”
Tate, a retired IBM manager, has many bullet points on his resume: Two terms on the city council, six years on the city’s planing commission and two years on general plan update committee. He’s been a resident of Morgan Hill since 1977.
“I think he’s absolutely the right person (for mayor) because I think he understands Morgan Hill,” said Lori Escobar, director of the El Toro Youth Center. “I work with low-income kids, and Steve’s been very responsive to issues. He represents everyone.”
Sellers, who openly supported Tate after spending the last eight years on the city council with him, said he’s looking forward to continuing their working relationship as the city grapples with long-simmering issues such as downtown’s revitalization.
“We’ve spent the last two years tilling the soil and I think now is the time when all the flowers begin to blossom,” Sellers said, alluding to improvement projects such as the remodeling of Depot and Third streets and the possible extension of the redevelopment agency. “I think you’re going to see tremendous change downtown in the next two years and it’s going to be exciting to help make that happen.”
Tony Burchyns covers Morgan Hill for The Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 ext. 201 or tburchyns@morganhilltimes.
