Council members finished without setting another meeting date for the topic. Mayor Doug Emerson surmised that council members likely would discuss it again at the Oct. 20 meeting. He also said that City Manager Clint Quilter expects to review a graduate student's survey on rally spending habits before the rally is discussed again.
Rally organizers, business leaders and citizens spoke about the benefits and problems brought on by the Hollister Motorcycle Rally during a special study session Monday in light of the city's six-figure loss on the 2008 event.
Although officials did not broach the rally's ultimate fate, they heard plenty of comments from the public as they decide how to handle this event from here on out.
Seth Doulton, owner of Horse Power Promotions and the rally's promoter, told council members he's in favor of the rally only "if the city is for it."
"It's too big of a job - it's too much work to try to do it without having the city ... It's not really your job to know about rallies. It's not really your job to see all of this."
Everyone, however, wasn't in favor of the city's signature event. Phil Clark, an economics teacher at San Benito High School, noted how there was a strawberry-themed festival where he lived prior to Hollister and that it was highly successful with a parade and floats.
"This isn't the only thing we can have in Hollister," he said.
Clark pointed out how a gang presence increase is associated with the rally.
"Do we want to continue with an event that draws an element that other kinds of events, like Gilroy has, doesn't?"
Hollister resident Marty Richman then spoke about Clark's subject of expertise - economics - and the city's selling of merchandise at the 2008 event with hopes of offsetting policing costs and turning a profit. Richman is a Free Lance columnist and editorial board member.
"That's just another indication of the poor planning, economically, that is going on with this rally," said Richman, who added that he wants the rally to survive - but only if it makes sense economically.
Aside from the cost to taxpayers, one of the other common beefs toward the rally has been its revised layout taking motorcycles off San Benito Street downtown. Doulton resonded to that and said the city should be proud of this event.
"I'm proud of it," he said. "I'm a promoter and I'm proud of the event. They can say it as many times as they want that it's a flea market."
He added that some residents have an "agenda" in favor of the former layout, which he contended was set up for between 4,000 and 8,000 people.
Doulton also listed off some benefits to the city. The four-point list included how Hollister is a destination point during the rally, how business spikes during that time, and that there's free national and international press and income from licensing and sales.
He also noted how sponsorship dollars have increased as of late.
"We went from $69,000 from the sponsors to $117,000," he said. "We were up $50,000 in sponsors."
One local business owner agreed with Doulton's contention about its effect on local businesses.
"The city might have lost money on the T-shirts. Maybe it could have done better - maybe it could have been a better T-shirt," said Lorraine Garcia, co-owner of Paine's Restaurant. "But I know my people left my restaurant with money in their pocket that went out to the community and bought things. I think it was a really good investment for the city to do this rally and continue to do it so that people have money to spend."
Council members largely responded to comments from others during Monday's meeting and didn't broach the event's future.
Council members finished without setting another meeting date for the topic. Mayor Doug Emerson surmised that council members likely would discuss it again at the Oct. 20 meeting. He also said that City Manager Clint Quilter expects to review a graduate student's survey on rally spending habits before the rally is discussed again.
Look to www.freelancenews.com later for an expanded story on the latest rally development.
Colin McConville Colin McConville is a reporter with the Hollister Free Lance. You can reach him by email or at (831) 637-5566.
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