The idea of having an elected mayor in Hollister became closer to reality this week as the City Council reached tentative agreement on some of the terms of the transition away from the current five-member, rotating mayor system now in place.
Two of those decisions included to have four council districts instead of six, and for the mayoral position’s term to last four years.
Councilman Victor Gomez could not attend Tuesday’s meeting, so the remaining four council members discussed the at-large mayor idea without formally approving the recommendations.
In order to have an elected mayor, the city must either add or remove one of its five council seats, which would mean having four or six council members plus the mayor.
“The council came to agreement on four districts as opposed to six and a four-year term for the mayor as opposed to a two-year term,” said City Manger Clint Quilter.
The council was split on what salary an elected mayor would earn as well as when to put the idea on the ballot for voters decide. Both issues are expected to be decided at the council’s Nov. 21 meeting, at which Gomez could break the deadlock on those issues.
Quilter said Councilmen Ray Friend and Robert Scattini advocated for a mayoral monthly salary of $800, which would be 100 percent more than council members’ $400 per month compensation. Council members Pauline Valdivia – the current mayor – and Doug Emerson both supported a $600 per month in mayoral compensation, a 50 percent increase from the regular council rate.
The matter of when voters will decide whether to approve the ordinance that authorizes an elected mayor, that position’s term and the number of council districts should be decided next week as well.
The council earlier this year said the ballot measure should coincide with the first available statewide election in June 2012. This week, though, there was talk of delaying the vote until the November 2012 election.
The estimated cost for putting the measure on the June ballot is $20,000. Estimates were not available for having it on the November ballot.
If the elected mayor ballot measure were approved in June 2012, the mayor of Hollister and two council seats would be elected with the November 2012 ballot. If the elected mayor issue was not put to voters until the November election, the first city-wide mayoral election would take place in November 2014.
The issue of whether incumbent council members could run for mayor and still retain their council seat if they lost the mayoral election was brought up but not discussed in detail, Quilter said.
“In some cities, you have a ‘safe seat'” approach, in which council members are allowed to run for mayor without fear of losing their council seat if they aren’t elected mayor, he said. “A lot of places don’t allow safe seats. You’d have to resign as a council member in order to run for mayor. That issue was not really discussed.”
