Three new County Supervisors were sworn into office Tuesday
morning, ushering in what many hope will be a new era for the
troubled board of Supervisors.
Hollister – Three new County Supervisors were sworn into office Tuesday morning, ushering in what many hope will be a new era for the troubled board of Supervisors.
Supervisors-elect Don Marcus (Dist. 1), Anthony Botelho (Dist. 2) and Jaime De La Cruz (Dist. 5) took their oaths of office alongside returning Marshal Robert Scattini before yesterday’s board meeting.
“I want to thank each and every one of you on behalf of myself, my family and all of San Benito County for participating in this great American experiment we call self-government,” said Superior Court Judge Steven Sanders before administering the oath.
During the past four years, many locals believe the experiment may have gone awry as lawsuits, corruption allegations and controversy surrounded the county. All three of the Supervisors replaced yesterday supported the controversial Measure G, which was defeated by 70 percent in a popular vote in March; all three supported and helped pass the controversial Hillside Ordinance at their last meeting before leaving office; and all three have been named in corruption lawsuits by Salinas lawyer Mike Pekin.
But with a new majority officially installed Tuesday morning, many in San Benito County have high hopes there will be more stability in county politics in the future.
“I’m very excited about the new board coming in. I think it’s an indication of the success of our local government,” said Farm Bureau President Paul Hain. “It shows that when the voters become dissatisfied with their elected officials, they know what to do. But I wish my best to the new board, because they’re encountering a pretty deep hole.”
Botelho, Marcus, and De La Cruz yesterday replaced long-time Supervisors Ruth Kesler, Richard Scagliotti, and Bob Cruz, respectively. Kesler had served three terms on the board, Scagliotti four terms, and Cruz two. While Kesler and Cruz lost their seats to Botelho and De La Cruz in the November and March elections, Scagliotti chose not to seek a fifth term.
Although Sheriff Curtis Hill said he was glad to see Botelho, Marcus, and De La Cruz take their seats, he appreciated the support the prior supervisors gave his department in years past.
“All of the new supervisors that were sworn in this morning had aspects in their platforms that were pro-law enforcement, so I’m going to be looking forward to working with them on that,” Hill said Tuesday. “All the supervisors in the past have been very responsive to the sheriff’s office in the previous years. We’re raising the bar at the sheriff’s office and it’s good to be getting help with that. I’m excited about continuing the good relationship that the office has with the board.”
But Dennis Madigan, founder of the watchdog group Citizens for Clean Government, said he hoped De La Cruz’s, Botelho’s and Marcus’s induction would bring change to the county.
“I would say that I hope this is a new direction. They’ve got their work cut out for them; there’s so many lawsuits against the county. I hope they really step up and get them settled and furthermore prevent them, and stop the tremendous outpouring of county funds,” said Madigan.
In its closed session meeting yesterday, the board discussed 12 different law suits continuing or brought against the county in 2004.
Kesler said she had no idea how the new board would fare.
“I just hope this year is better than last year,” she said.
Scattini commented that the board room had a “much different climate” yesterday morning when the new supervisors took over. With the power shift in both the board and the City Council, which seated three new members last month, Scattini said, he was looking forward to a “dynamite year.”
Madigan agreed, saying the community as a whole is ready for change.
“With the actions of the last elections, not just the county but also the city, this community has seen a big change, a big shift in leadership. With new people come new hopes, new ideas for change and new blood. As an adage, ‘A new broom sweeps clean’ has a certain truth to it, and my hope is that they’ll be doing some sweeping,” Madigan said.
Between Madigan and Hain, the consensus is that the new board probably won’t be making any major changes right away; for example, overturning the old board’s last-minute approval of the controversial Hillside Ordinance.
“There’s not going to be any massive disruption; they’re going to be looking very systematically at the way things work or don’t work,” said Hain, who has spoken with all three of the new supervisors. “Once they have a clear idea, I think they’ll start looking at what the alternatives are to make things better.”
De La Cruz, however, said he was ready to start making changes.
“There are a couple of issues that I’m really passionate about. One of them is the Hillside Ordinance, and I’m definitely going to push that forward and bring it back before the board,” De La Cruz said. “But we want to do this right. If that means bringing Hillside before the board tomorrow, then that’s what we’ll do. But if that means going into a series of meetings and bringing it back later, then we’ll do that.”
Supervisor Reb Monaco, who was elected chairman of the board yesterday, acknowledged the turbulence the new members had just inherited.
“We have our work cut out for us, and we will be facing new challenges. But I am confident we will be able to meet these issues with dignity and purpose,” Monaco said.
Supervisor Pat Loe could be reached for comment Tuesday. Cruz could not be reached for comment, and when contacted on his cell phone, Scagliotti hung up.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at [email protected].
