The city is bracing for some major decisions with the passage of Measure T, but it’s never too early to start planning for other necessary changes, such as creating an at-large mayoral position and exempting the downtown from stringent, citywide growth restrictions.
Local resident Tony Ruiz and his organization, the New Urban Independent Research Group, are pushing for those switches, both requiring voter approval. Ruiz is talking of having the proposals placed on the ballot as early as June.
One of those ideas, altering the elective process for mayor and instilling a higher level of prominence and wider representation for Hollister’s chief elected official, is long needed. The other proposal, to allow more residential growth in the downtown, would offer greater potential as Hollister attempts to attract new businesses to a city center that officials hope to make much more vibrant in the years to come.
Making the mayor position at-large would mean the entire city electorate could vote on a leader who serves an entire four-year term in that role.
The current system calls for council members to decide among themselves each year who should sit in the seat.
It’s a bogus system for a few reasons, most notably because getting the job is a rubber stamp for whomevers turn it is to take on the role in the rotation of council members. But it also means only one-fifth of Hollister in any given year had a say in who would be the entire city’s mayor. And the position itself, under the current setup, has no additional power above other council members aside from acting as a meeting chairperson and making appointments.
Giving the entire city a chance to elect a four-year mayor would also eliminate an inherent discrepancy among five council members in their competence as a chief executive. Each council member, after all, represents a different area of town where constituents have varying needs, whereas an at-large mayor would be responsible for broader considerations to benefit the city as a whole.
The times now call for an at-large mayor who has more a more clearly defined role, is more active in economic development and who can, when necessary, act as the face of Hollister in representing the city outside of public meetings and other local gatherings. For the city’s good, the position, to be a success, would demand someone with all-inclusive knowledge of Hollister and a general sense for what its people want.
The downside, however, is that Hollister can’t afford to pay a full-time mayor, so that creates a roadblock toward finding the right person. What leaders and advocates of the change should do is craft the most realistic role possible – which would be a part-time mayor whose paid slightly more than council members, but who has additional powers and responsibilities – and promote it as an opportunity to become a leader who truly makes a difference and acts as the catalyst for progress in Hollister and San Benito County.
