This commentary was contributed by former Mayor Mia Casey. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. Lea este artículo en español aqui.

My two years as Mayor of Hollister were some of the best—and hardest—moments of my life. I don’t regret running or serving. I ran because I believed we needed change, and I believe voters felt that too when I was elected with nearly 60% of the vote.

So why did I get involved?

Back in the late 90’s, raising four kids, working and commuting left little time for politics. But local decisions affected us. Few good-paying jobs, and limited opportunities for kids. At one point, I commuted 90 miles each way—three to four hours a day—to make it work. Eventually, we  left a community we loved to have more time with family.

After retiring, we’re able to move back. Our new grandbaby lived nearby, and Hollister still felt like home. But once we settled in, something stood out: despite years of growth, very little had changed.

More housing—but not more opportunity.
More development—but not better infrastructure.
More people—but still few good-paying local jobs.

I started asking a simple question: why?

Digging deeper I saw the imbalance clearly. While housing growth boomed, business and industry did not kept pace. A strong local economy requires both. And many promising new business projects were stopped before ever having a chance.

That’s when I began speaking out, not as a politician, but as a resident wanting to share what I learned. I connected the community to information around proposed projects and held workshops. I supported our existing local businesses during the pandemic—creating a digital magazine and offering free advertising to help them survive.

Running for office was never part of my plan. In fact, I’ve always been clear; I don’t like politics. But discovering this imbalance and wanting change, I came to believe real progress might be made from inside City Hall.

So I ran for Mayor. I didn’t expect to win—especially against a ten-year incumbent.  But I did.

When I took office, I didn’t fully understand what I was stepping into. There is no handbook for being Mayor. While my background helped me navigate the work, nothing prepares you for the political environment surrounding it.

What I quickly realized is the election wasn’t the end of conflict—it was the beginning of a new phase. The attacks didn’t stop, they intensified.

Claims about who I was, who supported me, and what I stood for—many were simply not true. I was labeled “pro-developer” and “pro-growth,” despite my focus on bringing balance to our community. Supporting jobs, local businesses, and economic opportunity is not the same as wanting unchecked housing growth. But those lines were intentionally blurred.

Over time, I came to understand something deeper. We have politicians and political groups in our community who are effective at shaping narratives and controlling the public—something repeated often enough, loudly enough, begins to feel like truth. I saw how misinformation spreads, how difficult it is to correct, and how it divides a community.

While busy with the actual work—making decisions, collaborating, and moving the community forward—you are also constantly responding to noise, distortion, and at times, very personal attacks. Not just on me, but people around me, even members of the community who just want honest information.

It was exhausting, but incredibly eye-opening.

I discovered leadership isn’t just about making decisions. It requires staying grounded in your values, even when it is easier to stay quiet. It’s about speaking truth, even when unpopular or inconvenient.

I learned something else that has stayed with me.

When you step back and look past words, what matters most are actions.

We hear a lot of claims in politics about transparency, about truth, about being “slow growth.” But look closely at what is actually happening, and a different picture emerges. Decisions don’t match their rhetoric. Growth continuing, but without the balance we need.

Take housing. A majority of politicians now serving at the city and county levels campaigned heavily as being “slow growth.” Yet when it came time to act, they approved Housing Elements that zone for thousands of new homes—far beyond the state mandates. Between those two agencies they have planned for 12,000 new homes! 

If we don’t take the time to understand what’s happening in our community, we leave ourselves vulnerable to being misled, and we pay the ultimate price.

That disconnect is why I ran for office and why I still speak out today. Some say because I am no longer Mayor, I should step back or stay quiet. But caring about your community doesn’t end when your term does. It doesn’t turn off. If anything, the experience deepened my commitment to our community.

I also want to be clear—this is not about seeking re-election. I have no plans to run. I am sharing what I experienced and what I’ve learned, because I still care deeply about our future.

I stand by what I said when running for office: I believe in the promise of Hollister.

We can be a community that grows in a balanced way. Where decisions are based on facts, not fear. Where we work together, even when we don’t agree.

Getting there will take all of us.

It also takes willingness to look beyond headlines and talking points. Ask questions. Seek out information. Listen carefully. And hold our leaders accountable—not just for what they say, but for what they do.

That’s how we move forward.

Together.

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