With the majority of votes released by the county, aside from contested and provisional ballots, the City of Hollister will be exempting downtown from the 1 percent growth ordinance with the passage of Measure Y, according to unofficial results, which still must be canvassed.
The measure was proposed in response to Measure U, which allowed for a maximum of 244 units built annually in the city. Under the new measure, downtown can be developed without capping the number of new units.
Measure Y has passed with 52 percent of the vote - by a margin of 5,091 4,702 - and its supporters content it offers further hope for the district's redevelopment.
Other races, meanwhile, have wrapped up for the most part as well. The race for the San Benito High School District Board was a close one for the district's two seats. Incumbent Evelyn Muro garnered the most votes with 8,064, and Ray Rodriguez, who won the other seat, received 6,999, according to the results. Appointed incumbent Joseph Gardner came in third with 5,637 votes.
In the uncontested race for Hollister City Council District 1, Ray Friend took that seat by gaining 1,309 votes. Friend will succeed Councilman Brad Pike, who decided against seeking reelection.
The biggest of the local races was for the city council District 5 seat, which Victor Gomez won by gaining 44 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. Gomez succeeds Monica Johnson on the council.
Today, he had trouble finding the words to express his feelings.
"I don't even know how to put it," Gomez said. "I'm honored."
Gomez talked about his wife and how she was instrumental in helping his campaign.
"I didn't really have anybody that helped me out ... It was between me and my wife."
He added that she went through a lot with his candidacy. Gomez did, however, find much support from his customers at Papa Murphy's, he noted. Although many of them didn't live in his district, he said that many who have known him for years were his "most tremendous supporters."
By winning 44 percent of the vote, Gomez said he has some anxiety with the expectations, but he asserted that he "runs a smoother operation when I am busy.
"And I will work harder knowing the support is out there."
His candidacy has been "an experience like no other," one he will never forget, he said. Being in a three-way race for the seat was great for him, he said, because he needed to get out and meet his constituents and make them earn his trust.
San Juan Bautista's City Council race also spawned a newcomer to the board. Incumbent Rick Edge and Maggie Bilich have been elected to those two positions.
Edge, who has been on the council since 2006 when he was appointed, received 373 votes, resulting in 33 percent of the vote, unofficial results show. Bilich, a former city clerk with the city, received 302 for 27 percent of the vote.
Bilich, the newcomer, said one of her first priorities is raising revenues to boost city coffers. She would like to have a meeting between the church, chamber of commerce and El Teatro Campesino to discuss "way to get more people into town," and to "make sure San Juan stays afloat."
The biggest challenge in Bilich's candidacy was the many different viewpoints in San Juan, but she said that the process was "all right."
For a full list of results, go to www.sbcvote.us.
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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