Before a packed house at the Hollister City Council chambers on Oct. 13, candidates for Hollister mayor and City Council District 4 were asked about their opinions and leadership skills at the second ‘Use Your Voice’ forum, co-sponsored by BenitoLink and the San Benito County Farm Bureau and broadcast by media partner CMAP-TV.
Mayor’s Race
First up at the dais, incumbent Mayor Ignacio Velazquez and challenger, Keith Snow, who is running against Velazquez for a third time, answered questions posed to them by a moderator. The questions were solicited from the public and neither candidate saw them prior to the forum.
The first question went to Velazquez: “With the potential loss of 22 percent of the General Fund if Measure W (a potential 20-year extension of a 1 percent sales tax in Hollister) fails, what is your plan for the city to maintain services?”
Velazquez said the when he became mayor four years ago, the city was in deep financial trouble. He said one of the first things he did with the council was to examine the city’s debt to figure out what could be done in order to pay it down.
“Over the last four years, we’ve paid down $10 million in debt, refinanced another $100 million from the (sewage) treatment plant and some other bills,” he said. “We did that because we wanted to make sure that when we got to this point, if for whatever reason, the voters decided not to extend the sales tax the city would not go bankrupt.”
He noted that everyone should realize that sales tax dollars are important for the city. Without them, he maintained, the roads would not be repaired, parks would not be improved, and plans to bring more businesses to the city would suffer.
“We need to make sure we keep (going) down this path so we can have a successful city,” Velazquez said. “With the cut, there will be some pain felt, but I can guarantee you we will not go bankrupt. We will work well as a city.”
The same question was asked of Snow, who said he has been doing a lot of research and that he would be a good mayor.
“My plans create revenue,” he said. “Multiple companies I’ve dealt with means millions of dollars for miles and miles of roads. My opponent over there and the council gave 911 calls to Santa Cruz. We lost $2.3 million.”
Snow said he supports local police and firefighters. He criticized how grants are handled and said the city lost grant money. He said there has been a lack of communication and he can create revenue.
“Me, I know about grants,” he said. “I’m a paid professional to make our city self-sufficient and create revenue. I’ll put all the city out there to do their job.”
The second question asked of Snow was, “Although previous councils are responsible for approving the current development that we are experiencing, what do you propose to deal with increased traffic and school crowding?”
Snow answered that unlike the present council, he would work with CalTrans to create revenue and widen roads. He said he has a traffic control plan, and would meet with the city manager, Caltrans, and the city council, with him as the leader.
“Me, I’ll lead with a clear path and the right direction,” he said. “I have good plans for that aspect.”
When it was Velazquez’s turn to answer the same question, he started off by correcting Snow’s comment about the 911 service.
“We’re actually saving over $300,000 a year, and over $10 million over the last 10 years,” he claimed. “That wasn’t on me. That was actually the previous council that made that move to save that money and I’m proud of that decision.”
Velazquez said it is important for the community to understand how it can save money. He said he’s been clear on the issue of growth in that he thinks it needs to slow down.
“Hopefully, this year, I can work with some of the council members to slow the growth down,” he said. “We need time to look at what we’re trying to accomplish as a community. Are we trying to become a big suburb of San Jose, or are we trying to become a community that we can be proud of?”
Traffic, Velazquez said, is a challenge because the state doesn’t care about roads in Hollister.
“It’s interesting that we’ve built a partnership with VTA out of Santa Clara County, and they’re willing to work with us on widening Highway 25 because they have a problem with (Highway) 152,” he said. “If their sales tax passes in November, they’re willing to pay for a new interchange at 25 and (Highway) 101, which is $80 million.”
He said if that happens, CalTrans may join the two counties and, “We may see the potential of actually fixing Highway 25 in our lifetimes.”
The third question, first asked of Velazquez, was, “You are one of five city council members. What distinguishes the mayor from the rest of the city council?”
Velazquez quipped, “You get blamed for everything,” then went on to explain that he and the rest of the council are a team. He said it’s important for the public to understand decisions made are not his alone.
“The mayor does present a vision for the community, but it’s really about a team working within the city, within the county, within the community to do what we can to make our lives better,” Velazquez said. “It’s not as though the mayor as the power. I’m just one member of the team.”
Snow responded that he knows what the mayor’s responsibilities are.
“When you have the power being mayor, you use that authority. I’ve been going to council meetings years. This council is like a circus … I’ll not let you down. One thing that gets me, our mayor over there makes these contracts that we cannot afford. You, the taxpayers pay for this. Me, I pay taxes like everyone else.”
Snow said his point was that he would work with the council. He said he would work with the planning department first, before anything comes to the council as an agenda item.
“We cannot afford mistakes, and I will not make mistakes, because I work for the people’s best interest,” he said.
Watch the mayoral section of the forum below:
City Council District 4
Roy Sims II and Tim Burns were up next, competing for the District 4 seat being left open by the departing Victor Gomez. The moderator first asked Sims why he decided to run for office and about his qualifications. Sims said most in the room were probably aware of the political atmosphere across the country that he described as somewhat of a joke that needs to be changed.
“I don’t think it changes at the national level. I think it changes at the local level,” he said. “It’s your neighbors. It’s your children. It’s the people that live in your own community that grow together and create change.”
He said being a local resident for so many years, he asked himself about the state of the community for his children when they’re his age. He wondered if they will want to remain in the community and will they feel it is a place where they can grow and raise their own families.
“What qualifies me is my ability to collaborate and see things visually,” Sims said. “We continually bandage things and we need to have a master plan.”
Burns said he was primarily inspired to run because Gomez had chosen not to do so. Burns said he liked the path that Gomez was on, particularly advocating for parks. He said he believes parks are the heart of neighborhoods and the community.
“I want to continue the vision of the incumbent,” Burns said. “We don’t agree on everything, but still I was able to gain his support.”
Burns said his profession experience in community development and safety in other cities qualifies him for the council seat. He said the timing was right and that there needs to be someone on the council who understands of how city government works.
The second question asked of the council candidates was, “What is lacking in the city council and what do you feel you will add?”
Burns said he was frustrated with the council’s lack of a plan moving forward for firefighters. He said that even though the council works well, there needs to be a long-term vision.
“Most of them have been here for a significant part of their lives and one of the things I can add is balance and perspective,” he said. “I’ve worked for a number of cities and have had an inside view of things. I’ve worked with some councils that have done really well and some that have been very challenged.”
Sims said what was lacking was not necessarily with the council, but with the community. He said the community is not balanced, but leans toward being a bedroom community.
“That’s not a sustainable model,” he said. “A lot of the growth are people who don’t want to invest back into this community. They come here to work, spend their money outside the community, and then they leave after 20 years of work and retire in other communities. That’s not the direction I’d like to see and that’s not the direction that I believe anybody on the current council or anybody in this audience would like to see.”
Sims, who works for the San Benito County Office of Educations, said he has prepared for the position by working as a information technology expert who knows how to connect systems and organizations.
“When you look at business and the community, connection is the most important aspect,” he said.
The third question asked of the pair was, “Because of the city’s reliance on sales tax revenue, how can you increase and promote economic vitality in the city?”
Sims said people with the economy need to invest back into it. He said sales and property taxes are not enough as city funding sources, saying more businesses need to be attracted to the area. What’s preventing this, he said, is the lack of transportation, which he said is grossly inadequate.
“We don’t have anything that allows us to be connected to the outside world,” he said. “Business is not going to look at this community as an investment because they don’t have the ability to grow. Their profit margin is not there for them.”
Sims emphasized the need for more parks and a 10-year master plan in order to grow.
Burns said he has spoken often on his concerns about the branding of the city. He said there is a need to figure out the city’s identity and that he is OK with the annual Fourth of July motorcycle rally as long as it is self-supporting.
“I think we need to figure out who we are, identify ourselves, and then figure out a signature event,” he said. “Gilroy has the Garlic Festival. I’ve met with people from across the world and you say, ‘Gilroy;’ they know. You say, ‘Hollister,’ they think this is a clothing company.”
“We are a city of families and we care about our kids,” he said. “But we need to think of some sort of event that will draw people. We need to protect the assets we have to keep people here. Part of it will be affordable housing. That’s a complicated process, but there are ways to get the affordable housing we need gradually.”
Burns compared Hollister to the Central Valley city of Visalia, which he said was very successful in attracting factories.
“We have that same opportunity,” he said. “We’re simply on the coast, but you can get to the north, the southern extremes and well into the east quite quickly.”
Watch the city council candidates discuss their positions at the forum below:
Watch the full-length video of the forum below:
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