Mark Turner: Well, the four main issues I ran this year and two years ago on are the pillars of what makes a community strong. I ' ve taken those issues up to the point where we are now, and we are continuing to make progress in all those areas.
gmhTODAY: You mentioned the progress made in your first term. What things were you able to accomplish?
Mark Turner: Prior to my being elected, the Council was really seen as more anti-police. We are now a pro-police Council. We are very supportive of our law enforcement and our fire fighters. We ' re doing more to support them so they can do their job well.
In our recent budget, we approved two new positions for the Police Department over the next two years. As our community grows, we need to continually add more opportunities for additional officers.
Of course, we have to have a sustainable and balanced budget. We also have to make sure that we ' re providing for all other areas of our city, including the services residents require and expect along with our public safety.
gmhTODAY: Your fire protection services are provided by CalFire by contract. How does that play into your overall public safety strategy?
Mark Turner: We have a five-year contract with CalFire. It ' s different than most municipalities in that we don ' t have fire department personnel employed by the City. Rather, they are employed by CalFire, who is responsible to manage all personnel issues. For the City’ s part, we simply have a contract for their fire protection services. From a financial standpoint, it is a positive for the City to some degree, although over the years, CalFire has been moving toward the model that you might see in other municipalities regarding the number of personnel on a truck or assigned to EMS. We are also still funding truck replacements, equipment, and those sorts of things. Where it was a cost savings years ago, the increases in staffing have all but eliminated the direct financial benefit. However from the managerial and administrative perspective, it is an efficient situation that requires much less city staff time.
gmhTODAY: Like Gilroy and the unincorporated areas of the county, Morgan Hill is facing pressure over local zoning and land use control. Why is local control important?
Mark Turner: This is an issue that has changed from two years ago. What I initially thought was possible regarding local control really doesn ' t exist from the perspective of Sacramento. They have passed so many laws taking away local control when it comes to housing, the only control we now have is over commercial development. We have to really be aware and alert so that we don ' t lose undeveloped land that ' s zoned for commercial use. From the state ' s perspective, commercial land can now be sold for residential use, despite our local zoning restrictions. We must be viligant in this area and maintain local control.
gmhTODAY: Coming off your resounding victory, it would seem you have a strong wind behind you. With that in mind, what is your vision for Morgan Hill during this next term?
Mark Turner: It ' s a bit of a continuation of what I started my first term. Also, it’ s about Morgan Hill becoming Northern California ' s premier destination for youth sports and recreation. We have a great opportunity there, based on a 2017 consultant study indicating that the Sports Complex and Aquatic Center were great assets when it comes to tournaments, meets, and the opportunities derived from those events that could drive overnight stays.
A greater emphasis on the Sports Complex would positively impact the local economy with increased retail and restaurant revenues, and drive meaningful revenue to our city. It’ s a winwin. I will be bringing a resolution before the Council asking them to sign on and approve a declaration that establishes Morgan Hill as the destination for youth sports and recreation.
Also, along with a group of local residents, we ' ve formed the South County Youth Sports Foundation as a 501c3, which will enable us to receive donations to develop this project. There is a master plan for the sports park in place, and the Foundation will be the driving mechanism through three buckets; Access, Facilities, and Training.
The Access bucket will provide scholarship opportunities for kids in our community who face financial barriers to participate in sports. This includes any sport in the community where financial barriers exist. We want to make sure our community’ s kids are playing the sports they want to play.
The Facilities bucket is about maintaining, improving, and expanding what we have. Out at the Sports Complex it ' s about redoing those fields and completing the master plan we already have in place.
The Training bucket provides for advanced training for both underserved kids and kids who may be able to participate, but face financial barriers to be able to afford advanced training. We know that sports camps and advanced training and conditioning can give kids that little boost they need to get to the next level.
It’ s not just about activity. We know that when youth participate in sports, their growth, wellbeing, and improvements in physical and learning ability creates greater educational and career success, We will be able to help facilitate lifechanging success, and accomplish all of this while boosting local economic development just from the effort of taking care of the kids in our community.
18 WINTER 2025 gmhTODAY Magazine: Go. Make history... gmhtoday. com