Young people should get involved in the process of politics
Published in the Oct. 29 – Nov. 11, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Sam Hofer
Sam Hofer
My name is Sam Hofer and I am running in the Nov. 4 election as a write-in candidate for mayor of Morgan Hill. I’m 18 years old and have been living in Morgan Hill for 17 years. I’m a senior at Ann Sobrato High School and have completed my entire schooling to date in the Morgan Hill Unified School District. I am heavily invested in the well-being of the schools in the area.
The process of politics interested me at a young age. I’ve always wanted to make a change in the community that I’ve grown up in, and I believe the best way to do it is to run for mayor. I also want to show my peers that even at a young age we can still make a difference in our community.
I appreciate Morgan Hill’s Youth Action Council and other organizations whose efforts are aimed at the advancement of youth leadership and involvement in the local government. I want to continue to support these organizations and I also want to encourage students and young adults to join. As mayor, I would keep students and young adults up to date on the current issues that impact their lives on my website so they can easily access and be in the know with what’s going on in the life of Morgan Hill.
Growing up in the Morgan Hill area has been a wonderful experience. However, I’ve seen the downtown go through many changes. I’ve seen many stores come and go and I want to bring more stability to the small businesses in that area. New plans for downtown are now on the horizon and I want to make sure that local businesses are not swept out because of them.
I want to incorporate a few non-competitive anchor stores into the downtown area. These stores, while not taking business away from local businesses, will increase foot traffic and overall interest in downtown by people of all ages.
I also want to increase the minimum wage in Morgan Hill to become more competitive with neighboring cities like San Jose. With this policy in place, it would help people be able to support their families and themselves better and to increase the quality of life for the citizens on Morgan Hill. It would also add more spending money in the pockets of hardworking citizens to use freely.
I also want to keep the current water conservation efforts up in order to continue to save water even when the drought is less severe than it is now.
As a younger candidate, some people might think I’m too inexperienced for the job. But I’m a strong believer that inexperience is innovation.
What I mean by that is fresh eyes on a problem is what gets the problem solved. I’m not naïve enough to think that change is going to be easy, but I strongly believe that change is what will keep Morgan Hill relevant to the youth as well as their parents and grandparents.
I know that there have been many mayors in Morgan Hill, including the incumbent, Steve Tate, and I appreciate what they have done, so far, for our great town.
I hope you’ve found this information helpful in getting to know me and my platform. I also hope that on Tuesday, Nov. 4, you will consider writing in my name on the ballot.
Even if you choose not to vote for me, I still encourage you to come out and vote on the many important propositions and state and local offices that are directly related to the well-being of our town and state as a whole.
Sam Hofer is a Sobrato High School senior. He wrote this for Morgan Hill Life.
