Among the Mayor’s qualities she most
admires: “He doesn’t shy away from
citizens’ concerns. He’s very ethical and
has set an expectation that the City
provide transparency and access to
information to the community, which
fosters accountability and trust.”
Steve is an alumnus and past
president of Leadership Morgan Hill,
which he describes as “a great program
for emerging community leaders.”
According to current Board Member
Roger Knopf, when the organization
was brought out from under the
Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce in
2002-03, Steve was part of a team that
led the formation of an independent
board, developed new curriculum, and
raised funds.
“Steve leads by listening,” Jennifer
said. “He looks at all sides of an
issue. This makes him very approach-
able. And because he is so approach-
able, people want to help, follow,
etcetera. By acknowledging the best
in others, he empowers them.”
A Bookish Kinda Guy
Steve is proud of his 20 years of service
on the Board of the Library Joint
Powers of Authority, including two
terms as chairman.
“Our local library is a tremendous
community resource,” Steve said.
“The planned expansion is moving
forward, and we’re adding Sunday
hours next year.”
Nancy Howe, Librarian for the
Santa Clara County Library System and
former Librarian at the Morgan Hill
branch, said, “Steve sees the library as
a place where community gathers and
thrives. He has worked to ensure the
library’s accessibility to people of all
ages and interests, and to get library
cards for every student in the
school district.”
As a Friends of the Morgan Hill
Library volunteer, he’s been known
to take the Christmas Eve shift in the
book store, welcoming library members
who arrive with bags of books to
donate during the holidays.
Spending Time with Seniors
Denise Melroy knows Mayor Tate
through her role as Program Coordi-
nator at the Morgan Hill Centennial
Recreation Senior Center. “He’s been
coming to the Senior Center for years to
meet our older adults,” she said. “One
of our seniors really likes to banter
with him about politics! They all want
to be here for his visits. If someone
has a complaint, he handles it with
diplomacy, brings it to the appropriate
City staff, and sends comments back to
the seniors.”
“Every year the Mayor speaks at our
Senior Resource Fair. When we applied
to have Morgan Hill designated as an
Age Friendly City, he wrote an official
letter to the World Health Organization
in support of our initiative, and we
were awarded the designation.”
The Baseball Thing
Santa Clara County Board Supervisor
Mike Wasserman noted that he and
Steve have a thing or two in common.
Mayor Tate kicks off
the press conference
announcing the Amgen
Tour Time Trial in
Morgan Hlll
(2018)
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
december 2018-january 2019
“‘Go Giants!’ isn’t the way a public
meeting is typically adjourned, but
it is during baseball season if it’s me
or Mayor Tate who is chairing the
meeting. We are both passionate about
public service and about sports.”
“Steve’s a dedicated and creative
leader who cares more about getting
things done than getting credit. I’ve
seen this time and again during our
work together to improve libraries,
youth programs, and on regional
planning efforts.”
Virtually the only time Steve’s office
is dark is during baseball’s spring
training season, when the Tates head to
Scottsdale to enjoy a few weeks of their
favorite spectator sport.
A Heart for Our Youth
When the YMCA first announced
Project Cornerstone, a framework of 40
developmental assets for youth, Steve
Tate was so impressed he made sure
Morgan Hill was among the first cities
in Santa Clara County to embrace it.
“Studies show that kids thrive with
these assets,” Steve said. “I’ve been an
advocate ever since. The city council
agenda always includes a student
presentation on one of the assets.”
As a Morgan Hill Rotarian, Steve
mentors Rotary Interact Club stu-
dents at Oakwood School and Central
High School. According to Central’s
Principal, Lisa Martin, “Mayor Tate
visits every week to talk with students
about opportunities for community ser-
vice projects. The students learn how
to run a meeting and other leadership
skills. Recently they proposed having
student-led morning announcements,
something that’s never been done at
Central. Mayor Tate’s face lit up. You
can tell he has a heart for our youth.”
Steve also has a heart for the Lori
Escobar El Toro Youth Center. “Alban
Diaz attended the Center as a young
boy,” he said. “Today, he’s running the
Center and doing a fantastic job. The
Center now serves over 100 kids. It’s
a safe place to go after school and for
summer camp, with mentoring, home-
work help, recreation, and socialization.
It’s absolutely essential for the kids
who attend.”
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