Some say an elected leader will be held more accountable
The concept of an elected mayor is not a new one. From major
metropolitan hubs such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego
to small towns such as Dos Palos and Los Banos, elected mayors
rule, according to officials at the League of California
Cities.
Some say an elected leader will be held more accountable
The concept of an elected mayor is not a new one. From major metropolitan hubs such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego to small towns such as Dos Palos and Los Banos, elected mayors rule, according to officials at the League of California Cities.
Staff at the League of California Cities said there are currently 157 cities in California with elected mayors. Several of those cities surround Hollister, including Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and Salinas.
Electing a mayor at large creates accountability, according to Tony Ruiz, a local political activist. He has never heard of a city that went the route of an at-large elected mayor where the residents wanted to switch back, he said.
In Hollister, the citizens elect one city councilmember per each of the five districts. Once the council is elected, they appoint someone to serve as mayor for the year.
“There needs to be a point person,” Ruiz said. “Not because that person will develop a vision for the city but because they will help to see that vision realized.”
Ruiz explained the Democratic incentives to having a mayor at large. It invites people more into the process of selecting their leaders and in order to run an effective city, Hollister needs a full-time or a part-time mayor that can provide leadership and spend time on tasks. As it currently exists Hollister’s mayor is more of a ministerial type, according to Ruiz.
Hollister Planning Commissioner Gordon Machado agreed that an elected mayor would provide more accountability.
“There is a close relationship between the elected mayor and the tax push, because it gives credibility to the tax,” Machado said. “That way, if you’re not producing what has been sold, there is someone accountable who is accessible.”
