Hollister
– County Clerk John Hodges declared Eugenia Sanchez the
unofficial winner in the race for the District 2 seat on the
Hollister City Council, with Sanchez leading incumbent Mayor Robert
Scattini 62 percent to 38 percent as of Wednesday evening.
Hollister – County Clerk John Hodges declared Eugenia Sanchez the unofficial winner in the race for the District 2 seat on the Hollister City Council, with Sanchez leading incumbent Mayor Robert Scattini 62 percent to 38 percent as of Wednesday evening.
As of 11:41pm Tuesday, with 40 percent of the ballots counted, Sanchez had 382 votes to Scattini’s 235. The 147-vote deficit is likely too large for Scattini to overcome in the final count, Hodges said. If the results hold, the Sanchez win ushers in a relatively new face to Hollister politics and ends Scattini’s four-year stint on the City Council.
“I’m glad to assume the responsibility of representing District 2,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez said she will focus on building recreation resources, looks forward to working with other City Council members and hopes to help alleviate the cost of the sewer project to Hollister residents.
The results came as a surprise to Scattini, but he remained in high spirits Wednesday evening as he spoke about his history in Hollister, four years on the City Council and future plans.
“I love this town and I love the people in this town,” Scattini said. “And I’m going to continue to contribute.”
Scattini was elected to the District 2 City Council seat in 2002 by a 20-vote margin over then-incumbent Peggy Corrales. The City Council voted unanimously to elect him mayor of Hollister in 2005.
With a perfect attendance record and participation on every committee, Scattini has logged long, hard hours since 2002. He said he asked hard questions of city officials, not always making him popular.
Faced with a development moratorium already in place when sworn into office, Scattini said he focused on the construction of a wastewater treatment plant.
Scattini said Sanchez is a nice person, should be given a chance to produce and that voters will see what she is capable of in three or four months. He said a candidate’s campaign promises can not always be realistic once in office.
“You can promise a blue moon and green cheese,” Scattini said. “But it’s hard to produce.”
Sanchez touted her experience dealing with school district finance issues on the Hollister School District Board of Trustees as ample ability to deal with the city’s $2.7 million budget deficit. She also planned to tackle the increasing sewer rates, stating a need for a different solution and that “not everyone has the same income.”
Scattini campaigned on his record. He has supported revitalizing the motorcycle rally and has focused on beginning construction on the wastewater treatment plant, which many hope will lead to the end of the city’s moratorium on new development.
“I wanted to run to make the city a better place to live,” Scattini said. “And I think I’ve done that.”
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or mv*********@fr***********.com.
