Doug Emerson recently retired from 38 years in education, and he
would consider a post on the Hollister City Council as his way of
performing community service.
Hollister – Doug Emerson recently retired from 38 years in education, and he would consider a post on the Hollister City Council as his way of performing community service.
Emerson, 60, is running against incumbent Tony LoBue for the District 4 seat. Emerson touts his background as a school administrator, particularly his work with finances and personnel issues, as reasons why he should be elected to the council.
Hollister is facing millions of dollars in shortfalls for at least the next four years. And with budget problems this past fiscal year, the council had to consider 36 employee layoffs – an issue that strained the council’s relations with its workforce.
Emerson was faced with a similar situation when he headed the East Side Union High School District’s human relations department. He had to take part in laying off 60 classified employees there. The experience was more painful than he expected.
“I didn’t realize that until I walked over and handed the first person a letter,” he said.
About three and a half years ago he moved to Hollister from San Jose. Emerson has been keeping an eye on local politics and decided to run for the council after reading editorials in the local newspapers urging residents to get involved.
Aside from taking a shot at fixing the city’s budget, he emphasizes improved communications with residents, better long-range planning and more programs for youth, he said. He pointed out that he founded a program in San Jose for high-risk kids that involved drug and alcohol counseling.
Emerson thought about running for a school board post. But he decided to pursue a council seat because he saw it as a “new challenge.”
The Budget
Emerson served the San Jose school district as a financial analyst and an interim assistant superintendent for business. He spent his waning days before retiring this summer as the district’s chief financial officer.
He believes those qualities on the city council are sorely needed.
“Nine times out of ten, there are deficiencies (in a budget),” Emerson said. “There are things in there that can be changed slightly or adjusted that can either increase revenue or reduce expenses.”
But his views on Hollister’s budget are more philosophical than specific. He wants to get residents more involved with the decision-making process – including crucial choices on the budget, such as what programs stay or go during difficult financial times.
Communication with citizens
Through his campaigning, Emerson has realized he wants to improve residents’ knowledge of issues affecting the city.
“I’ve been going door-to-door and I find very few people know who their city council person is,” Emerson said.
Furthermore, he said, better communications would lead to more feedback from residents when it comes time for council members to vote.
One idea he has is setting up an e-mail distribution list that could go out to residents – letting them know about council decisions or dilemmas.
“At least the council person then has a sense of what the community is looking at and what their priorities and values are,” he said.
Long-range planning
Emerson believes the best way to solve Hollister’s problems, such as those relating to the sewer spill in 2002, is to improve the city’s long-range planning.
He said he doesn’t know too many details of such controversies as the 15-million gallon sewer spill or the development agreement with Award Homes that led to lawsuits and some public upheaval. But he thinks they were likely caused by inadequate planning, he said.
Hollister is finishing an update to its general plan, which serves as a blueprint for how a city wants to grow. That document’s approval is expected in early 2005.
He realizes also that some level of growth is going to happen.
“I think we’re very naive to think there isn’t going to be growth,” said Emerson, who also believes the city must work better to maintain infrastructure at levels adequate for the population.
Economic development
Emerson doesn’t have a specific plan to attract more jobs or to nurture economic development, he said. But he does believe certain areas of economic development do need improvement.
He pointed to the high number of vacancies in downtown’s commercial buildings as one of those areas.
Emerson said the main reason he enjoys living here is the small-town feel, which he wants to preserve, especially the existence of “mom and pop” stores in the downtown area.
“But yet I can understand that generating sales tax revenue from Home Depot or something like that probably would be advantageous,” he said.
One venture that could create jobs, he acknowledged, is a casino that’s been proposed off Highway 25. So far, he said, he doesn’t envision a casino benefiting his district’s residents.
“I think the problems that may come with it – police, infrastructure, traffic, a drain on resources – would outweigh the jobs and revenue to the city.”
