We’re one candidate short
Reporter Patrick O’Donnell profiles the six candidates for the
San Benito High School Board of Trustees in today’s edition. But if
you live in the high school district that covers most of San Benito
County, you may have noticed that there are seven names on your
sample ballot.
We’re one candidate short
Reporter Patrick O’Donnell profiles the six candidates for the San Benito High School Board of Trustees in today’s edition. But if you live in the high school district that covers most of San Benito County, you may have noticed that there are seven names on your sample ballot.
After she had filed for candidacy, after sample ballots were printed Ardyss Golden learned something new – she does not live in the high school district. Golden, the local Methodist pastor and one of the community’s greatest assets, sent her children to Hollister High and probably made the assumption that that meant she was in the district.
I had occasion to talk about public education with Golden when the two of us were among the community members assisting an executive search firm in locating a new superintendent.
Her notion of a school as an institution that belongs to the entire community, a place where students feel nurtured and given the opportunity to succeed, was brilliantly expressed in a heartfelt way that shouted of sincerity.
I left that conversation buoyed by the thought that there are people in San Benito County with such optimism and energy. She may not appear on my ballot Nov. 7, but she gets my vote as one who can make a difference.
Speaking of all things election, it’s always interesting to grade pre-election signage.
County Clerk John Hodges may or may not be good at his job. After all these years, we’re not sure what a county clerk is supposed to do. But Hodges is good – very good – at getting elected.
I’ve been chumming around local government meetings with Hodges since the 1970s, when he served on the Hollister City Council. It’s no accident that Hodges, after gaining the clerk’s office, ran for re-election unopposed more often than not.
He’s a born glad-hander, quick with a story and slow with unkind words. And he’s made a science out of the art of getting elected. It’s Hodges who first cautioned against “vote for” signs that looked too professional and slick. Those, he said, are just not San Benito County. Better to splash a little paint on some leftover plywood and not make it look too professional. We do things our own way in San Benito County and we don’t award extra credit for good penmanship.
That said, campaigns have been getting slicker – and more costly – in this latest round of electioneering. The county Board of Supervisors voted not to set limits to campaign spending, but with the cost of a campaign for supervisor approaching the $50,000 mark in some cases, we’d bet the price of a politician that campaign finance reform will be a local issue within the next four years or so.
Speaking of high priced campaigns, the effort to pass Measure S sets a new gold standard. The Hollister-only ballot measure would represent the first step in an effort to build a senior community of more than 4,000 homes north of Hollister. If you live in the city limits, you’ve been treated to a DVD, a bag of popcorn and lots of slick brochures.
But the campaign got the kind of boost money can’t buy this week, when the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce announced the results of a survey it commissioned among its members. With more than 100 responses tallied, the local business community came in overwhelmingly in support of Measure S. As a result, the Chamber is formally supporting the initiative.
Notebook is compiled and written – mostly – by Mark Paxton, with contributions from Pinnacle staff members as the muse – or desperation – strikes.
