When asked by the Pinnacle or the Free Lance newspaper about the
rally I respond with passion hoping that my view is represented
well when it comes out in print.
By Charisse Tyson
When asked by the Pinnacle or the Free Lance newspaper about the rally I respond with passion hoping that my view is represented well when it comes out in print. It seems to be hard to convey what someone says in the final draft because I always wind up saying. “That’s not what I said.” In reference to the sheriff candidate’s response to my questions about law enforcement for the rally I don’t remember using the word “vowed.” It has very strong connotations and I try to use it sparingly. I think that it is important for voters to know what each candidate said on an issue that is so close to many voters’ hearts. Despite the fact that two of the candidates are no longer in the running I feel their views on the subject are still important.
Anyone that knows Robbie Scattini knows that, yes he vowed that a rally could be run safely at a third of the price tag that Chief Jeff Miller attaches to it.
Ray Wood told everyone at the meet the candidate’s luncheon at San Juan Oaks on April 23 that he believed the law enforcement could be scaled down therefore cutting costs for the event. He also said that if he had it his way officers would wear T-shirts with their guns and badges lending a more hospitable feel to the event.
In a private conversation with Pat Turturici he assured me that he did not hold the attitude that Sheriff Curtis Hill did towards the rally and that he too thought that law enforcement could be handled for a lot less money. He also said that he believed that the rally played an important role in our economy. When asked about the rally at the candidate’s luncheon I felt he wavered when he told everyone at the table that it really wasn’t a county issue. We all know that Sheriff Hill played a huge roll in the demise of our rally. The event brings traffic and money to the entire county; hence it is a county issue.
Darren Thompson did not have time to address the issue at the luncheon at my table. Two minutes just wasn’t long enough to get to all of our questions. I do know that he is a motorcycle enthusiast so I am confident that he doesn’t hold the same prejudices toward motorcyclists that Sheriff Hill and Chief Miller obviously hold.
The issue is a very important one in choosing a sheriff because there is talk again of blending city and county government, a move that I believe would save money and make a lot of sense. It’s a long shot that it will happen but I still have hope. If our governmental entities were to be combined the sheriff could ultimately make all law enforcement decisions about a rally if we are fortunate enough to restore it.
The article about reviving the rally states that a grassroots group of local residents is trying to bring it back. God bless them. They are smart enough to see its value to our businesses, our nonprofits and our community as a whole. What the heck is wrong with our city council? Why can’t they see its value? Why won’t they admit that the cost of law enforcement is what keeps us from having a financially viable rally and that if council members had the fortitude and courage to give chief Miller a reasonable budget the rally would never have been canceled in the first place.
Why should taxpayers have to foot the bill for a costly special election when the council has the power to solve the problem? The milquetoast council members are afraid to get behind the rally even though numerous polls have stated that 82% of the community wants to have it. Not only do they not want to do the work involved, if they give Chief Miller a budget and then God forbid something goes wrong they would be held responsible. We had no serious incidents in the twelve years that we had a rally. I’ll use a saying we have ay Johnny’s that feels appropriate here, “Put your big girl panties on and deal with it.” The only council member that has ever had the back bone to get behind the rally is Robbie Scattini. He said what he thought and not what everyone wanted to hear but guess what, he lost the election to a smoother candidate.
As chairperson for the 2007 Hollister Motorcycle Rally Committee I have first-hand knowledge of what it takes to put on a successful rally. That year the city didn’t lose a dime even though they allowed Chief Miller to hit them with a $369,000 law enforcement bill. Our promoter Seth Doulton, however, did not fare as well. He took the loss on the chin because he was in it for the long haul. That didn’t work out so well for him. Our committee stepped aside in 2008 and handed the job over to the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce. They had no clue what they were signing up for, the job didn’t get done and the rally was once again cancelled. The fact that Seth moved the motorcycles off of San Benito Street and moved the date to the week after the Fourth of July to accommodate Chief Miller and the city still got hit with a $389,000 law enforcement bill might have had something to do with it.
I know that the T-shirt vendors who contributed $185,000 to the successful 2007 rally were playing hard ball in 2008. If Seth and the city had settled for the $125,000 that Tom Recel from Biker Design was willing to pay, and not tried to take on the task of selling the shirts themselves there would have been money in the bank instead of a $98,000 loss and a lot of t shirts rotting in storage somewhere.
Having a successful rally that adds money to the city coffers is not rocket science. The city needs to enter into a contract with a reputable promoter with motorcycle rally experience.
And for heaven’s sake don’t tell them that they will be solely responsible for the cost of law enforcement but you don’t have a clue how much that will be. I doubt that Johnny’s would still be in business if I told people to enjoy a cheese burger and I’ll tell you how much it costs after you have eaten it.
The contract should be written with provisions that insure the involvement of our local nonprofits and businesses. A committee of volunteers sounds good in theory but asking someone with all of the financial risk to run all of their plans by a group of citizens with different ideas and values is counter productive and unrealistic. God bless Seth for his patience, I think he went above and beyond the call of duty in working with the Hollister Motorcycle Rally Committee. They were all dedicated and wonderful people but addressing so many peoples opinions on how things should be done made for an exhausting experience.
If the city hires a promoter for the job they should have the faith in them to do it right and not dictate their every move. Including language in the contract that addresses the enlistment of help from our local nonprofits would be necessary. The decision as to which non-profit runs a beer garden, handles the photo tower, sells water or picks up the recyclables should be based on their experience in each area and the man power they have to do job efficiently. The evaluations could be made easily by the city council with input from past rally committee members with experience in this area.
Keeping the number of vendor spaces at a reasonable level would encourage the rental possibilities for private property owners. The HDA and the Chamber of Commerce could get involved by connecting interested property owners with the promoter. All parties could receive a reasonable finder’s fee for their efforts, and we could fill up some of the empty buildings on San Benito Street for as much as a week, generating rent for the property owners, taxable I might add, as well as sales tax revenue.
Make San Benito Street motorcycle parking only. It isn’t necessary to put bikes in the middle of the street. I believe that is what made for a claustrophobic and tense feel in the past, not to mention the exhaust fumes that made enjoying a meal in one of the local restaurants difficult.
Encourage venues outside of the down town area like the 57 acres at the Brigantino spray fields Marlon Moss mentioned as well as Bolado Park and the San Benito County Historical Park.
The council could not begin to accomplish these goals without putting themselves fully behind a rally. It is the only revenue generating endeavor I see available that could pull the city out of the financial hole that we are headed for. They would have to give Chief Miller and who ever might replace him when he’s gone a reasonable budget. How do they decide on what a reasonable budget looks like? Even a lay person like me can see that letting the chief bring in helicopters to fly over the event making vet’s feel like their back at war, and scaring old ladies is not cost effective or necessary. Why not take a look at the information that Marlon Moss has worked so hard to accumulate. He has taken the time to get answers from government officials about what we can do to bring the costs down. I’m sure he would be glad to share the information with the council if it means bringing back our rally.
As Marlon also pointed out the city officials have always failed to see how the tax revenue generated offsets the direct losses on the books. With a law enforcement bill of let’s say $225,000, a very reasonable number there would be no losses on the books at all.
I appeal to all concerned citizens of San Benito County to talk to the candidates
and your council members and ask them to do the right thing for our community. We need the 100,000 visitors the rally brings and the money they bring along with them. Someone else in business please speak out so that Hollister residents don’t believe that Johnny’s is the only business in town that reaps benefits from our rally.
Charisse Tyson, Hollister
