Newly-elected Mayor Randy Johnson — beginning his sixth two-year term as Scotts Valley mayor — brings experience and confidence to the position.
Johnson was elected mayor by unanimous vote of the City Council, after serving last year as vice mayor. He was re-elected to the City Council in November for a sixth consecutive four-year term, coming in second in a field of six candidates for three council seats.
In Scotts Valley, the position of mayor is largely ceremonial, but Johnson believes it is critical in defining the council’s direction and ceremonially representing it at events. The mayor does appoint council members to committee assignments, which will occur later this month.
“Our citizens expect a steady hand in the management of the city,” said Johnson, 64, first named mayor in 1996. “The City Council’s priorities are set by the community. And I’ve learned you want to keep those things simple.”
While he may want to keep things straightforward, the city is facing several thorny issues during his two-year term. The over-arching dilemma revolves around retaining the city’s small-town character, while allowing for revenue-generating growth.
The first tall order is to update the city’s 23-year-old general plan, which serves as an overall guide for all areas of growth. When completed sometime this year, the document will serve as a guide for business development, growth, affordable housing and open space.
“It’s never been ignored,” Johnson said. “This is a living, breathing document.”
“Listening to the pulse of the community is a good place to start.”
There will be four community meetings that will serve as a foundation for the current update. A representative from either the City Council or Planning Commission will be attending each meeting.
The proposed Town Center project, which has its own specific plan approved in 2008, has long represented a grand vision of a magnet for community gathering. But the complicated land transaction (Santa Cruz owns part of the land) and financial risks have stifled proposed plans.
Scotts Valley developer Corbett Wright has received the go-ahead from the council to build a restaurant on part of the site, but the remainder of the 58-acre parcel — bounded by Mt Hermon Road and Skypark Drive — has no plans.
Johnson said he believes the Town Center, a blend of open space, commercial and housing, will be “phased in.”
Johnson, who has owned and operated a full-service independent insurance agency in Scotts Valley for 38 years, is also focused on creating a new template for Scotts Valley’s affordable housing shortage.
The million-dollar price tag currently on single-family dwellings is affecting workers’ ability to live where they are employed, he said. It also makes it hard to recruit police and teachers, who get better offers elsewhere.
“Housing is a huge challenge based on the economy,” he said. “The system we have in place now is not productive.”
Johnson envisions an “organic” approach to affordable housing. Rather than asking developers to create a specific number of homes per project, “We should build apartments so people can have a starting point,” he said, adding that these could be “in-filled” throughout the city.
Johnson mentioned that the Town Center would be the ideal place for affordable apartments, creating an atmosphere resembling Santana Row in San Jose.
“Apartments will be smaller units,” he said. “People would only have to come up with a first and last payment, instead of a huge amount for a mortgage.”
Though the city will receive $265,000 annually from Measure D for road improvements— a countywide initiative approved Nov. 8 to improve transportation — Johnson said local roads have been maintained well. He plans to meet with the Department of Public Works and develop a needs list for ongoing roadwork.
Johnson acknowledges that the growing pains facing Scotts Valley are numerous, but can be surmounted.
“There’s no intention of changing our small-town character,” he said. “We just have to find the sweet spot. It’s going to be an interesting two years.”
