Six members of the seven-member Measure X Citizens Oversight Committee were approved by the Gavilan College Board of Trustees during its April 10 meeting. The six members were recommended by Superintendent and President Kathleen Rose.
Sixteen individuals applied for seats on the committee, according to a presentation from Ann and Matt Kennedy of AKG: A Kennedy Group. The six members are:
- John Flaherty – Gilroy, community at-large
- John Gould – San Jose, community at-large
- Judi Johnson – Hollister, taxpayers association
- Gordon Machado – Hollister, business community
- Jim Rogers – Gilroy, senior citizens’ Organization
- Nazhat Sharma – Hollister, support organization
The number of members on the committee and their affiliations follow California Assembly Bill 1199. Per this law, at least two members are required to be from the general community, one from the business community, one from an active senior citizens’ group, and one from a recognized taxpayers association.
One student representative is also required by law and the seat is still open. The committee’s first meeting is expected to take place in late June or early July.
Machado and Sharma previously served together on the Hazel Hawkins Hospital Board of Directors.
Machado told BenitoLink why he applied for a committee seat. “You get a separate opinion, a different perspective.” He said he is not focused on the past, but wants to move forward.
Johnson, one of the other two Hollister committee members, told BenitoLink that she ran for the committee because she “wants to make sure tax dollars are spent exactly the way they are supposed to be.”
“In building the campus in Hollister we can have a showcase for the whole state in what a community college can be,” she said.
During the April 10 meeting, the Kennedy Group also presented updates to the Gavilan College board on Measure X, the $248 million school bond measure approved in November by voters San Benito and Santa Clara counties.
All local documents for Measure X have been filed and and bids for work are in progress, according to the Kennedy’s presentation. Bidding applications are expected to be made available soon on the Gavilan College website and PlanetBids. Work is currently underway with Dividend Homes to share costs for sewer, water, access road and other improvements for Fairview Corners, the campus planned for San Benito County.
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Other related BenitoLink articles:
Planning continues for a Gavilan College campus in San Benito County
Gavilan College seeks applicants for Measure X oversight committee