Morgan Hill Life asked each candidate to tell readers about themselves
Published in the August 20 – September 3, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Donna Brusaschetti
Donna Brusaschetti
Thank you for allowing me to tell you about my decision to serve our community by asking for your vote of confidence to serve on our City Council.
My family has been a part of the community for more than 30 years. My husband Paul and I have two daughters; one a teacher and the other preparing for a career in law enforcement. We have seen our city grow from a small “one stoplight town” to its current status as a great city to live in and raise a family. While growth is a necessity, the management of that growth is key. Businesses should be supported, infrastructure maintained and upgraded, and city services such as fire and police need to be valued; all while operating within a balanced budget on a proactive not reactive stance.
During the period I contemplated running for this position, I was not worried about winning the election. I have no issues with my motivation under scrutiny. I am strong and have always been able to stand and make the decisions that have to be made. I was concerned with being perceived as not having the political experience to compete with an incumbent. The conclusion I came to after that introspection period was staggering.
I realized that I am running to represent the people, be their voice. What qualities or experience would any other profession outweigh 20 years of being a working mother and businesswoman in our community and working to achieve our goals on a daily basis with fellow Morgan Hill citizens on the many boards and foundations with which I have served?
My qualifications include serving on St. Catherine’s School advisory board and many volunteer hours on various events and committees, including coaching. I am a past president of the Live Oak Athletic Boosters Board, co-chair of South Valley Wine Auction, and a current volunteer with the Morgan Hill Police Department
Being a part of these organizations has taught me the importance of solving problems from different perspectives while maintaining the inclusion of others’ productive ideologies. Recently I have spoken with many people as passionate as I am about our Morgan Hill. I hope to bring that passion and perspective to apply to the municipal decision making process.
I believe I can be a valuable new voice for our city.
For more information, visit www.Donnab4morganhill2014.com.
By Joseph Carrillo
Joseph Carrillo
I am the owner of Joseph Carrillo Productions, a producer of free and open entertainment and media. I am also a political and environmental activist.
I have been in business in Morgan Hill for more than seven years and have been a city volunteer for five years for the Morgan Hill Aquatics Center and Morgan Hill Centennial Recreation Center. I am well known as a volunteer by the public works department, fire department, and police department.
As a member of the City Council, my goal will be to improve the political system with campaign reform to limit corporate political contributions and influence by providing publicly-financed elections. I would like to promote small local businesses over large corporations and promote local credit unions instead of large banks.
I believe it is important to help the community with labor, and I am an active member of Morgan Hill CERT. I also have knowledge and experience with water district issues, and have volunteered for annual creek cleanups organized by the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
As a City Council member I will work to improve water conservation in the city by installing drip irrigation with water monitors and leak detectors. I will also work with VTA to get more public transit in Morgan Hill. I will also improve pedestrian and bicycle safety by adding more bike trails, hiking trails, and horse trails. The trails may also be used as fire breaks simply by adding fire gates at the bottom while still having a wide enough entry for horses, bikes, and pedestrians while the fire access gate is closed.
As a City Council member, I will promote a vibrant local sustainable economy that would benefit the entire community including those that are unemployed or homeless.
By Rich Constantine
Rich Constantine
It has been my honor and privilege to serve as one of your council members for the past three and a half years. During that time we have weathered the fiscal storm of the great recession, seen the dissolution of the Redevelopment Agency, the closing of our city hall and the consolidation of our staff into the Development Services Center, and the loss of 21 full time employees.
And with all that and more, I believe Morgan Hill has come through this tough time even stronger. We have hired back 12 full time employees, remodeled our council chambers, seen our growth outpace that of the rest of the county, and watched with great pride as the young adults of Live Oak High School taught us how to embrace the differences of others (this year’s Cinco de Mayo demonstration). A testament to our strong family oriented community.
Morgan Hill is a wonderful city; that is why I moved here more than 10 years ago, and that is why I want to continue to serve as your council member.
By Gordon Siebert
Gordon Siebert
It has been an honor to be part of a high-functioning, cooperative City Council which puts the interests of Morgan Hill and its community first. I am pleased that the experience and expertise gained in my 40 years of service in municipal government, including serving as Morgan Hill’s public works director and finance director and as a city manager, have allowed me to help make Morgan Hill an even better place to live. Simply put, I’m running to ask voters to continue to use my experience and expertise to allow me to give back to the hometown I’ve loved for 25 years.
Working in concert with my City Council colleagues under the leadership of Mayor Steve Tate, I have helped lead the city through the Great Recession, delivered services like police, fire and utilities to our residents and businesses and improved our city’s financial position. We have persevered in our efforts to keep $25 million of former Redevelopment funds from going to the state, keeping that money here in Morgan Hill to improve our charming downtown, making it an even more vibrant destination for all of us to enjoy together.
In addition, my particular accomplishments during my first term on City Council include preserving our water system so that it continues to provide safe and dependable water into the future, advocating for allowing the treasured landmark Granada Theater to re-open in time to host the Poppy Jasper Film Festival and provide on-going use to the community, and increasing the transparency of the city’s financial reporting to keep our citizens better informed.
If given the opportunity to serve another term, I will continue to work cooperatively with my colleagues, city staff, our commissions and other agencies to improve Morgan Hill. Challenges and opportunities still remain for us to address in the coming years in all areas of city governing. My priorities include maintaining public safety, repairing roads before it becomes too costly, expanding recreational and arts opportunities, supporting local businesses, maintaining financial prudence and transparency and maintaining measured growth with good land use decisions.
As we approach this year’s election, I’d like to hear voter’s priorities and concerns. I get some of my best ideas from listening to concerned residents and business operators. My number is listed in the telephone book. You can send me an email message at [email protected] and check out my website at www.gordonforcouncil.com.
