Gomez for District 5
A majority of the seats on the Hollister City Council are going
before voters Nov. 4, but only one of them offers voters a choice.
Doug Emerson, an incumbent, and Ray Friend are assured of council
seats because they are running unopposed, but in District 5 voters
have a real choice. Among three excellent candidates, the Pinnacle
recommends a vote for Victor Gomez.
Gomez for District 5
A majority of the seats on the Hollister City Council are going before voters Nov. 4, but only one of them offers voters a choice. Doug Emerson, an incumbent, and Ray Friend are assured of council seats because they are running unopposed, but in District 5 voters have a real choice. Among three excellent candidates, the Pinnacle recommends a vote for Victor Gomez.
Gomez is opposed by city Planning Commissioner David Huboi and sheriff’s Lt. Roy Iler. Both bring deep experience and a host of good ideas. Huboi, who has an architectural business, is clearly passionate about land-use planning. His ideas for revisioning the city are ambitious and still sound. It would be a shame to lose his contributions as a planning commissioner. Fortunately, voters do not have to make that choice. In conversations with the Pinnacle editorial board, both Gomez and Huboi named the other as a top choice for appointment to the commission. Iler’s background in law enforcement makes him well prepared to contribute solutions to the region’s growing criminal gang issue.
But Gomez combines many of the qualities of his opponents with something less tangible – passion. A youthful 30, Gomez still contributes an essential perspective now missing from the Hollister City Council. If elected, he will be the only council member currently operating a business.
Gomez owns the Papa Murphy’s pizza franchise on Airline Highway. He knows how to calculate risks, how to make a payroll and how to respond to the public.
He correctly cited the local economy, increased gang awareness and community safety as top priorities.
A native of Hollister’s west side, Gomez grew up around gang violence. “If there weren’t gunshots on the weekend, it would be odd,” he said of life on the Buena Vista Road corridor. Gomez sees the most effective strategy as prevention. He would like to see stronger neighborhood involvement and community outreach.
Gomez comes from a family filled with leaders. A brother sits on the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Siblings graduated from University of California, Berkeley, San Jose State University and University of California, Los Angeles. “My parents came to this country with a purpose for us,” he told the Pinnacle.
As a person who owned his own business by the time he was 26, Gomez brings demonstrated management skills and a sound work ethic to the table. Hollister residents will be well served.
