Phil Fortino has a business-friendly mindset, and that’s just
what San Benito County needs.
Phil Fortino has a business-friendly mindset, and that’s just what San Benito County needs.
Fortino has the right background and attitude for the board of supervisors during such difficult economic times. As a longtime businessman, he has the experience and drive to get things done and to help revitalize San Benito County’s economy.
That is why Fortino, facing incumbent Reb Monaco and challenger Jerry Muenzer in the race for District 4 supervisor, has earned a majority of this editorial board’s endorsement for the seat. Just like the race for sheriff, though, voters can’t lose out as three qualified, driven residents face off in the June primary.
Monaco is trying to repeat his performance of four years ago when he fought off two challengers in winning a second term on the board. He has done a fine job as a supervisor and works well with his colleagues, while Muenzer, another longtime businessman, has shown he is a dedicated citizen who cares deeply about his hometown.
Fortino deserves the nod, though, because he has bold, innovative ideas about spurring business, new and current, and showed in a recent interview with the editorial board that he would be a firm, fair boss who has a line of vision directed in just the right places, toward a philosophy of spending frugally – he is open to department consolidation in several areas – and taking aggressive steps toward spurring economic growth.
He is ready and willing to shake things up.
Fortino, whose longtime family furniture and electronics business fell victim to the poor economy and a shift in buyer trends favoring big-box chains, has 30 years of experience and, as a result, now personifies a sense of leadership and accountability that would vastly benefit San Benito, ranked in a recent study as the fourth-most economically-depressed county in the entire nation.
Fortino is focused on fixing the local economy. For many years to come, nothing will be more important than efforts by county and city leaders to help get their constituents and private-sector employers out of this rut.
He talked about his goals of reversing San Benito County’s anti-business reputation, such as removing “hurdles and roadblocks” toward starting businesses and inviting public input on customer-service levels. He mentioned an applicable “secret shopper” program he ran at the family store under which customers provided information on such details as the appearance of the parking lot and front doors, and how salespeople treated customers. He wants to bring a similar system to county government.
He said he would start an “economic vitality task force” comprised of elected officials acting as a welcoming committee for prospective business.
And he would focus on tourism promotion and vowed to find ways, including use of public resources, to kick-start the industry.
All of those are great ideas, though Fortino would have to press forward with care regarding the “secret shopper” program – otherwise, he might be perceived off the bat as picking the wrong fight with the unions. For the task force and tourism promotion, he also would need to collaborate with local nonprofits already overseeing such areas of economic development to ensure there is no overlap involved.
On one of the more pressing economic matters, Solargen’s proposal for a solar farm in the Panoche Valley, Fortino expressed a responsible approach. Despite a vast minority’s claims in opposition of the project, there almost isn’t a better place for such a facility, as he noted. Fortino also aptly pointed out, however, that the county must protect itself in the agreement against potentially negative consequences and that citizens must be the “supreme beneficiary.”
It is time for a new kind of leader in San Benito County. Fortino would bring the business savvy and insight that this county needs to get out of its massive slump. He is the best candidate for District 4 supervisor.
