Hollister City Council members agreed Monday to gather as much
information as possible concerning the Hollister Independence
Rally’s viability from both an economic and a public safety
standpoint.
Hollister – Hollister City Council members agreed Monday to gather as much information as possible concerning the Hollister Independence Rally’s viability from both an economic and a public safety standpoint.
It’s the first time in the rally’s nine-year existence that Hollister’s political leaders have made a concerted effort to decide once and for all whether the rally is a good idea for the city, according to city council members.
During a special city council meeting Monday night, City Manager Clint Quilter suggested council members split into two subcommittees – one looking at public safety and the other focusing on the financial, organizational and relational aspects of the event – to determine whether “there is a way to make this event work for the city,” he said.
Quilter also briefly mentioned during the meeting he had been approached by a for-profit organization interested in being involved in the rally, however he declined to comment further Tuesday.
The July motorcycle event, along with the nonprofit Hollister Independence Rally Committee, has been the subject of considerable criticism over the past several weeks – so much so that three council members recently said that if it came down to a vote today, theirs would be to cancel the rally.
“It’s no longer just HIRC’s problem to deal with. It’s our problem,” said Councilman Brad Pike, one of the council members who said he’d vote to cancel the rally. “Are the tides turning? I don’t think so yet. We’re saying, ‘OK, we’ve got to take a harder look as a city and see what the viability of keeping it is.’ As a city we have to take the brunt of the bad and take pride in our successes.”
HIRC Acting President John Loyd was optimistic in the city’s increased participation, and said he wished this had happened a year ago. However, he also said he hopes Quilter does not entertain the idea of contracting with another agency until HIRC’s 2006 contract is decided upon on Nov. 7.
“I’m really hoping we can pull this thing up from the ashes and we can have an ’06 rally,” he said. “I’m glad the city council set up the committees, and Brad’s right, it is everybody’s problem because rally or not, people are going to come.”
Several weeks ago, Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller heavily criticized the rally in a comprehensive law enforcement report, stating he cannot guarantee adequate public safety staffing for future events due to the escalating threat of violence between rival motorcycle clubs.
He also highlighted concerns that the rally is becoming an adult event, complete with women exposing themselves and obscene merchandise being sold.
Shortly thereafter, HIRC presented the council with an economic impact report stating the rally brought in nearly $400,000 to the city over the three-day period – a study council members tore to shreds, saying it was based largely on assumptions and estimates and was not credible.
The combined negativity prompted council members Pike, Doug Emerson and Monica Johnson to say if it came down to a vote today, they would vote to cancel the event.
But in recent days attitudes have changed ever so slightly, revealing a new willingness from council members to research the rally’s viability and showing a cooperative effort that Pike believes has been lacking in years past. Pike and Vice Mayor Robert Scattini will be working with law enforcement on the public safety committee.
Both Pike and Scattini believe all facets of the community – law enforcement, the business sector, government officials and residents – need to provide input on the pros and cons of the rally. With more input Pike said the city can get a better handle on whether the rally can be made into a success or is something that should go by the wayside.
“All the players have to come to the table to make any event successful, and we haven’t had all the players in the past to take responsibility, to take ownership,” he said. “If the community sees a benefit, then that’s the direction we should go. If it’s not successful, we’re going to have to think what the reasons are and what our priorities are. Our name is attached to everything we do. We can either look like we’ve got our act together or we can look like a bunch of buffoons. I prefer not to look like a buffoon.”
Emerson, who will be working with Johnson on the financial committee, said while something may come out of their research that shows a better way to go about making the rally a financial success, he’s not focusing on finding a solution to the rally’s growing fiscal problems – the largest being an ever-increasing law enforcement bill that currently tops out at $300,000, but that Miller said has the potential to grow by leaps and bounds for future rallies.
“We have a responsibility to really examine both the safety aspect and the financial aspect. That doesn’t mean I’m going to sit down and figure out a way to make this thing work,” Emerson said. “The way I’m going into this is to try to get more accurate information.”
Johnson believes the city simply can’t afford not to be in the organizational process at this stage in the game considering how large the event has become. She does believe that certain aspects of how the rally is set up need to be changed. Scattini also agreed the event has become too large for one organization to handle on its own.
“It’s gotten to the point where it’s gotten too big and we need everybody’s input in it. I like motorcycles, but I’m looking at it from the business part of it – that’s the only thing in Hollister right now, there’s nothing else,” Scattini said. “There’s definitely got to be some changes. We need to look at this thing from a total perspective.”
A meeting to decide whether to continue with HIRC’s current contract with the city will be held on Nov. 7, at which time council members could decide to terminate the contract, approve it, change it or even to cancel the rally entirely, Quilter said. However it is too early to speculate what will come out of that meeting at this time, he said.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
em*******@fr***********.com
