Hiring a new city manager is an opportune moment in the life of
any city to closely look at the direction it wants to take in the
future. This is more than a little true for Hollister, which faces
a host of serious challenges.
Hiring a new city manager is an opportune moment in the life of any city to closely look at the direction it wants to take in the future. This is more than a little true for Hollister, which faces a host of serious challenges.
Clint Quilter’s recent elevation from interim to actual city manager comes at a time when the city is on the verge of emerging from the sewer moratorium and with the bypass of Highway 25 moving forward. It is a time for bold thinking and even bolder action. We hope Quilter is up to the task.
Quilter, rightly, is making lifting the moratorium and revitalizing downtown high priorities. But these actions alone are not enough. Removing roadblocks to revitalization is one thing – working actively to bring in the new businesses Hollister needs, and to revive downtown, is another.
In that vein, we encourage Quilter to take advantage of his relationship with Gilroy City Administrator Jay Baksa and pick his brain. Baksa, who has been at the helm during Gilroy’s rise as a commercial force, surely has valuable knowledge about how to stimulate economic growth that could benefit Hollister. Some of our ideas along those lines include:
n Asking the council to create an inventory of local businesses with an eye toward attracting complementary industries
n Assessing how redevelopment money could be spent to create incentives to attract business
To that end, we urge Quilter and the City Council to think big. It is not enough to encourage downtown businesses to gussy up their awnings and windows. The city needs a vision, not to mention an anchor business that can attract more shoppers downtown.
The City Council must play an important role. As elected officials, they must be willing to provide leadership. That kind of thinking can be dangerous for people who depend on popularity to hold their jobs. But if Hollister is to move forward, council members must be prepared to make the tough decisions the moment requires, regardless of the electoral consequences.
Some seemed daunted by the challenge, but with a little imagination and a lot of energy, Hollister’s future can be a bright one. There is a way if there is the will, and Quilter must be the one to provide both.
Quilter is no short-timer. He has worked for the city for 16 years and can be counted on to have the best interests of Hollister at heart. But that experience could turn out to be an anchor instead of a sail.
He must be willing to hire the right people to advance the city’s interest, and to set the proper tone of urgency and resolve. His title may be “manager,” but that is insufficient to the task ahead. He must also be Hollister’s principal cheerleader and promoter.
City Hall will need that kind of voice if the dream of a vital and prosperous town is to be realized.
