Incumbent Mayor Rich Constantine will serve another two-year term after winning race against last-minute write-in candidate Steve Chappell


By Robert Airoldi

While Americans await the results of the 2020 presidential election, results are in for local races, though provisional ballots remain to be counted.

With all precincts reporting, incumbent Mayor Rich Constantine will serve another two-year term. He garnered 11,649 votes (93.75 percent) while write-in candidate Steve Chappell got 777 votes (6.25 percent)

In the Morgan Hill City Council District A race, Gino Borgioli, a former Morgan Hill Unified School District  board trustee, is ahead of incumbent and five-term councilman Larry Carr, earning 1,403 votes (40.60 percent) to 1,263 votes (36.55 percent). Julie D. Raia, a family therapist, got 790 votes (22.86 percent).

In District C, incumbent Rene Spring is ahead of Juan Miguel Munoz-Morris with 2,111 votes (70.34 percent) to 890 votes (29.66 percent).

In the only contested Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Trustee race – Area 5 – Ivan Rosales Montes is ahead of Pam Torrisi 1,807 votes (61.84 percent) to 1,115 votes (38.16 percent).

In the Gilroy mayoral race, city council member Marie Blankley is comfortably ahead of Reid Lerner, an architect, earning 9,498 votes (68.52 percent) to 4,363 votes (31.48 percent)

For the city council’s three open seats, firefighter Zach Hilton, incumbent Fred Tovar and planning commissioner Rebeca Armendariz are ahead, 7,834 votes (25.02 percent), 7,211 votes (23.03 percent), and 6,357 votes (20.30 percent) respectively. Carol Marques, 5,356 votes (17.11 percent) and Danny Mitchell 4,551 votes (14.54 percent) are in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

In the race for Gilroy Unified School District Board of Trustee in Area 2, incumbent Mark Good has garnered 1,804 votes (65.22 percent) compared to educator Nirza Starks who earned 962 votes (34.78 percent)

In Trustee Area 6, Meiissa Nicholson Aguirre is ahead of incumbent BC Doyle 1,156 votes (66.32 percent) to 587 votes (33.68 percent), respectively.

In Trustee Area 3, retired educator Michelle Nelsen has garnered 1,739 votes (64.65 percent) compared to student Jonathan Hurtado (who was disqualified for misrepresenting where he lives) with 647 votes (24.05 percent) and Kevin Moller with 304 votes (11.30 percent).

Educator Patricia Mondragon is ahead of 20-year incumbent Mark Dover with 3,495 votes (60.78 percent) to 2,255 votes (39.22 percent).

The Valley Water parcel tax is passing with 372,813 votes (75.68 percent) compared to 119,775 no votes (24.32 percent).

The Open Space Authority parcel tax is also winning with 273,894 votes (81.80 percent) compared to 60,959 no votes (18.20 percent).

The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board Caltrain sales tax passed with 327,167 votes (67.42 percent) compared to 158,107 no votes (32.58 percent).