Mayor Tate wants citizens to become more involved with the city
Published in the Sept. 3-16, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate is running unopposed in the Nov. 4 election. He and his wife Jennifer have lived in the city since 1977, raising their two children here. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley with a degree in mathematics, Tate worked for IBM from 1966 to 2003 in marketing and planning positions. He served as an elected member of the City Council for eight years before being elected mayor in 2006.
Morgan Hill Life ask Tate to discuss how he sees his role leading the city as mayor.
What prompted you to seek a fifth term as mayor?
Morgan Hill currently has many on-going projects that need to be completed and I want to ‘stay the course’ to see them through. It is a great honor to serve as mayor, and I have the time it requires, I enjoy doing it and I am good at it. My accomplishments and experience as mayor, council member and businessman, my knowledge of Morgan Hill, and my interpersonal skills give me the confidence to expect that Morgan Hill will continue to benefit from my leadership; that we can make our great community even better.
What is your No. 1 goal for the city in the next two years?
It’s really hard to identify one thing. I guess I could cheat and say that the one goal is to accomplish all of the council’s ongoing goals. Certainly we need to keep the community safe and fiscally sound. We can assure that with our outcome-based policing strategy and our sustainable budget strategy. We need to complete our General Plan update with substantial public input and buy-in to ensure the course we set for the future is the right one and will allow us to grow in a way that maintains our small-town atmosphere.
Two other efforts are achieving our goals for downtown vitality through infusion of housing and mixed-use development and finalization/implementation of our plans to preserve agriculture and open space while expanding recreational opportunities in the southeast area.
What are you most proud of during your four terms as mayor on the City Council?
Again, I can’t limit it to a single thing. So here are two — our outstanding city staff and the fact that people who live here love living here and are very committed to preserving our small-town appeal and charm.
How would you describe the working relationship between the members of the city council?
Outstanding! We are not only respectful of each other, we also respect each other. We don’t always agree, but we understand that all of us are working for the good of Morgan Hill and we factor all of our differing opinions into our final decisions. I am extremely proud to be a member of this council and am strongly endorsing the reelection of Rich Constantine and Gordon Siebert.
How might you encourage residents to become more involved and engaged in city government and local issues?
Citizens’ opportunities for doing so are growing. We have a comprehensive website (undergoing redesign and modernization) that contains a wealth of information and resources. There are many notifications anyone can sign up for using the “Notify Me” tab. We are working on a project that will allow people to provide input to city council and commission meetings from their homes.
You’re very involved with various committees regionally. How important is it for you as mayor to ensure Morgan Hill’s voice is heard at county and state levels?
It is important, not just to have our voice heard, but to be able to take a leadership position on regional efforts. As this year’s president of the Cities Association of Santa Clara County, I realize this is an area of increasing importance. Sacramento legislators now come to us for support and listen to us closely on issues that impact local control. I am proud that all council members are regionally involved and that we have a good working relationship with Gilroy.
BIO INFO
Age: 70
Spouse: Jennifer, married 48 years
Children: Stacy, 45, teaches at Saint Mary in Gilroy; Greg, 43, technical marketing for start-ups in San Francisco
Grandchildren: Jared 16, and Kylie, 14
College: Cal Berkeley, 1966, BA in Math
How long have you lived in Morgan Hill: 37 years
Profession: 37-year career with IBM
Favorite movie: ‘Gettysburg;’ ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’
Last book you read: ‘The Lost Island,’
by Preston & Childs
Favorite sports teams: Giants, 49ers, Cal Bears
