Candidate for
Mayor; City of Morgan Hill

I'm 70 years old and have lived in Morgan Hill since 1977. I am currently serving my fourth two-year term as Mayor of Morgan Hill after serving eight years as an elected member of the Morgan Hill City Council. I am retired from IBM, where I spent 37+ years in various marketing and planning roles.

I've had the good fortune to have been married to Jennifer for almost 48 years. She is now retired after being a personal trainer, a downtown business owner and a past Morgan Hill School Board Trustee. She is currently serving on the Board of Community Solutions and serves on the County Heritage Commission. She also serves on the Board of the Pajaro Dunes Homeowners Association . She chaired the MH Centennial Committee in charge of the many festive 2006 events we had to celebrate Morgan Hill's 100 years as an incorporated City. The Chamber of Commerce selected her to be Morgan Hill's "Woman of the Year" for 2006.

We have two great kids. Our daughter Stacy is married to computer support guru Keith Huddleston. She teaches at St. Mary School in Gilroy, where she was Gilroy's "Educator of the Year" in 2005. They have two children, 16-year old Jared, a football lineman; and 14-year old Kylie who plays softball and water polo in addition to charming her grandpa. Our son Greg is also married to a Jennifer Tate; he works in the business software arena while she works for in the clothing industry. They live in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury District.

I'm have been an avid runner, having completed 15 marathons, a 37-mile jaunt up Haleakala mountain on Maui, and a 50-mile run to celebrate turning 50 back in 1994. Asthma is slowing me down now, but I still get out when I can and exercise regularly. I love all sports, especially Giants baseball. Every year Jennifer and I spend the month of March in Scottsdale, Arizona where we attend Giants spring training games. I enjoy reading, primarily fiction, and also enjoy time at the beach. We love to spend weekends at our Pajaro Dunes condo, especially in the milder winter months. We also love to travel, and after visiting our Sister City of Headford in Ireland, look forward to visiting our other four Sister Cities (in Mexico, Italy, Japan and our newest in Turkey).

I'm a member and past-president of the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill. I am a strong supporter of youth leadership activities in Rotary, advising Interact Clubs at both Central and Oakwood High Schools. I'm a member of the Morgan Hill Chamber, which I support through the Ambassador program and by attending Board of Directors meetings. I served two terms as Board President of Leadership Morgan Hill and continue to support that great program. I am also in my ninth year as a member of the Board of Directors of the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County, an important organization that is really making a difference on housing affordability in our region.

When I left the Leadership Board, I was asked to join the United Way Silicon Valley Board. It has been a rewarding experience, expanding my insight and contacts in the Silicon Valley region and allowing me to advocate for South County while also increasing United Way's visibility here. I also serve on two newer organizations that were started to support existing non-profits. Amigos El Toro supports the Lori Escobar El Toro Youth Center Clubhouse, a great resource for low income families that provides extensive after school programs that help kids succeed and thrive. El Toro was recently taken over by the Boys and Girls Club of Silicon Valley, so I am now also a new member of that Board of Directors.

Serving as Mayor is very rewarding and also very demanding. We have regular Council meetings and frequent additional workshops and other sessions. As Mayor, I chair these sessions and make every effort to oversee the agenda and set the tone to make them meaningful and productive. I also have many constituent meetings and am frequently asked to make speaking appearances at community events.

I also serve on the Santa Clara County Library Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Board, City/School District Liaison Committee, and as this year's president of the Santa Clara County Cities Association Board. I am a past-president of our Division of the League of California Cities. I work closely with our local Youth Action Council and our Library, Culture and Arts Commission in a Council liaison role. In our efforts to secure federal flood control funding, I am spending time coordinating with our Water District and consultants while keeping in touch with our federal elected officials in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

I created an Interfaith Council of the clergy here in Morgan Hill and look forward to continued work with our faith-based community on areas of mutual interest like developmental assets for our youth and garnering community support in times of crisis or need.

I truly do love Morgan Hill, and enjoy the hard work necessary to make it even better than it is! I believe I am an effective and productive mayor and ask that you give me the opportunity to continue in the role