Unlike some of its neighbor municipalities on the Silicon Valley side of the hill, like Monte Sereno and Los Gatos—which canceled their council elections when no more hopefuls put their name in the ring than the number of seats available—Scotts Valley has seen an incredible burst of enthusiasm this year, as seven people vie for three seats (with Councilmember Donna Lind the only incumbent).
“Twenty-eight years, in some people’s minds, is quite a while,” said Mayor Randy Johnson, who’s serving his eighth term in office, when asked why he opted not to run this time. “I just felt that passing the responsibilities on to other people who were well-suited to do it was probably a good idea.”
But the race has not been without controversy either, as pink election signs specifically targeting Donna Lind sprouted along Scotts Valley Drive, Mercedes Molloy was criticized for a website that appeared to encourage illegal donations and former Santa Cruz Police Department deputy chief Steve Clark’s record of contentious relations with left-wing activists resurfaced.
Krista Jett, 37, a registered nurse who commutes to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, is one of those newbies.
“It’s been one of the most positive experiences in my life,” said Jett, as she thought back on her first campaign. “I feel like, win or lose, on Election Day, I’ve already won in such a huge way.”
Jett said she’d like to see affordable housing developed in a smart manner and hopes to bring the perspective of working families to the body.
“I understand what it means to balance work life with home life,” she said, adding, “We don’t currently have someone from a medical background (on Council).”
Politics isn’t completely foreign to her, however.
Jett remembers canvassing with her parents for Bill Clinton, back in the day. And, her brother, who’s a lawyer, is the chief of staff for State Senator Melissa Hurtado.
“City Council, in general, was always on my radar,” said Jett, adding she loves the small-town charm of Scotts Valley—which some fear will be altered, as housing quotients from the Department of Housing and Community Development are imposed. “I love the small-town feel. I really want to try to protect that while trying to comply with these mandates from the state.”
John Lewis, an information technology contractor and Cabrillo College student, actually ran in 2020, but finished a distant fourth, with 16% of the vote.
After sitting out the last election, he figured now was a good time to make another run.
“I’m a big fan of democracy,” said Lewis, noting he was recently inspired by the Citizens Academy course put on by the City. “I wanted to have a say in it. I really like complex systems that are interconnected.”
Lewis said he wants to see the City make more progress on various files, such as on the development front.
“We’ve been told over and over again—for a long time—that the Town Center project is just around the corner,” he said. “I think people in Scotts Valley deserve more…. My feeling is Scotts Valley has been kicking the can down the road about actually building affordable housing.”
He said he also wants to make sure that the natural beauty of the area is preserved.
Lewis previously worked for Rebis, which was acquired by Bentley Systems, and biotechnology company Ingenuity Systems. He was one of payment company Square’s first 500 employees. After the company had its IPO, he decided to embrace the stay-at-home dad life.
Mercedes Molloy also comes from the tech industry, as she’s the founder of an app called Safe Squad, which provides safety services to users.
She said she’d like to see Scotts Valley focus more on implementing climate resilience strategies and that the community could do more to address the challenges people have faced with insurance providers dropping customers.
Molloy attracted controversy for developing an election website that includes a $200 donation option, when Scotts Valley has a $100 contribution limit.
When asked about this by the Press Banner, Molloy said the “Support Our Cause” module was part of a Wix template and that she hadn’t received any donations above that ceiling anyhow.
UC Santa Cruz student Dustin Lopez has also been pressing his case with voters. The candidate, who is in his mid-20s, said he, too, wants to put a strong emphasis on environmental issues.
“We already have the solutions to climate change,” he said. “Really helping people is, in my opinion, the best way to help the environment.”
Lopez added that he’d like to see more cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.
And while he’s young, he contends he’s been doing a better job of filing his paperwork properly than some of the other candidates.
“I do think, if you’re going to represent your community, you should be starting off on the right foot,” he said.
Donna Lind, a retired police sergeant, formed a slate with food sales rep Corky Roberson and Clark, the former SCPD cop.
Roberson said that while he’d been considering a Council run for a while, it was actually Lind who pushed him over the edge.
“Donna wanted to be a mentor,” he said, adding he went and pulled papers within 30 minutes of her suggesting the idea. “She chose us.”
Roberson has developed relationships with countless people in the community over the years, at work making the rounds for Performance Food Service, as a Scotts Valley Host Lions Club member (before it disbanded) and in his efforts to bring the Boys and Girls Club to Scotts Valley.
He decided to comment on the current human trafficking court case, in which a former Boys and Girls Club employee is accused of victimizing minors he met through the club.
“I have followed the City Council for many years,” said Roberson, noting he wants to fund the Parks Master Plan and see the Town Center brought to life.
Clark said his three decades of policing will serve him well if he’s elected to Council.
“I have significant experience in building and supporting community groups to ensure their voices are heard and considered in city decisions,” he said. “I know how to navigate small-city government and get the best result with limited resources.”
Clark said he’d like to focus on ensuring public safety, addressing the looming budget crisis and supporting small businesses—among other things.
“Having never run for office in the past, I have enjoyed the learning opportunity each day brings,” he said. “It is exciting and encouraging to see the incredible amount of support I have experienced from a broad spectrum of the community.”
A few days ago, he volunteered at Scotts Valley High School’s haunted house.
Over the years, Clark has found himself at odds with police accountability activists and progressive politicians.
During the campaign, he sought to discredit a 2015 Good Times article detailing run-ins with critics that was never retracted.
Lind said it’s important to have people with leadership experience on Council.
“I’m looking at who’s going to step up and be there,” she said.
Lind said she’s not concerned by the pink signs encouraging people not to vote for “Incumbents.”
And, she added, even if the younger candidates don’t win, she hopes they’ll remain civically engaged.
“I’m really excited that we had seven people run,” she said.
