Political unknown Doug Dodd has announced he is strongly considering challenging Mayor Steve Tate in the upcoming November race.
Dodd, 33, met with City Clerk Irma Torrez on July 21 to get the necessary paperwork to run for the two-year seat.
Dodd said while he has drawn paperwork to run, he was giving the decision to actually file the papers by the Aug. 8 deadline serious thought since he believes "Morgan Hill deserves a mayor that's going to give 110 percent of time, energy and devotion."
He is the first possible contender to Tate, who will finish his first term as mayor in November. Tate ran two years ago against lone challenger Dennis Delisle after having served on the Morgan Hill City Council for eight years.
Dodd said he's lived in Morgan Hill for "a month to a month and a half." Dodd, who lived in San Jose before moving to town with his wife Melinda Hernandez-Dodd, said he has friends and family in Morgan Hill and has been "a part of the community since the 1990s."
The Morgan Hill newcomer said he hoped to bring a fresh face to what he called the "good old boys network" that he says is Morgan Hill city politics.
"I've seen a lot of changes happen," Dodd said. "I feel that Morgan Hill deserves to be better."
Prior to his election as mayor in 2006, Tate served on the council since 1998. Councilman Greg Sellers is in his third four-year term, while Councilman Larry Carr will run for a third term in November.
Dodd said he has no political experience.
When asked why he's considering the mayor position over the two council seats that are open - Carr and Mark Grzan are up for re-election in November - Dodd said, "What better way to make a big impact and to make changes for the best."
Dodd is an acquaintance of real estate agent Chris Borello, who said Dodd shares a lot of his concerns about Morgan Hill. Borello, a former city council candidate, is the most vocal proponent of the initiative to reduce affordable housing in Morgan Hill, which is being challenged by the city.
On affordable housing, Dodd said that for any city to be strong there needs to be balance and that a pendulum swing in any housing direction is a bad thing.
Dodd declined to comment further about affordable housing. He said one of his main concerns is what he calls wasteful spending by the council.
"For example, all of the overpaying for properties - the city is paying more money than what the properties are appraised for," Dodd said. "Another huge waste in resources are consulting fees."
Tate said he had first heard of Dodd when he showed up at the July 2 City Council meeting to speak out against the utility tax during the public comment portion of that agenda item. Dodd did not announce his intent to run at that time.
Dodd attended the Wednesday council meeting as well, but did not provide comment on any items, according to Torrez.
Natalie Everett Natalie Everett covers education and city issues for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106, ext. 201, or neverett@morganhilltimes.com.
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