gmhTODAY 23 gmhTODAY Dec Jan 2018 | Page 50

Parades, Festivals and Fun Every year, Morgan Hill hosts its Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting celebration. According to Kiwanis Club member Mary Lou Conragan, “People love the countdown as Steve and Santa address the crowd and light the tree. It’s just one example of all that he does, coming out to events and making him- self available to the community.”  Steve is also known for being a good sport, from dunk tanks to pie- throwing contests, he’s done it all for the good of Morgan Hill. “Racing tri- cycles around the CCC to promote the Amgen Tour was fun,” he joked. “I was pedaling along, expecting [MHUSD Superintendent] Steve Betando to pass me, but evidently his trike broke down!” The Challenge of Governing “The biggest challenge is public engagement,” Steve said. “Our citizens need a basic understanding of how local government works and the issues at hand so we can make informed decisions together, and then move the City forward.” “The big issues are mostly around growth. Bringing more jobs, growing our economy and reducing commutes will make for a happier community. We’ve got our Economic Blueprint with measurable outcomes and two fantastic people, Edith Ramirez and John Lang, working on it. I don’t see big companies like Google moving here, but we can attract companies in their supply chains.” “One thing that’s making a difference is the ambience of our downtown attracting people to spend time here. As businesses see this, they’ll consider Morgan Hill.” Looking ahead, Steve said, “We must come together as a region, including South San Jose, and be aware of what’s going on in the state legislature. They’re proposing laws that violate local control. We’re working cooperatively on meeting State housing demands. And talking about transporta- tion issues like the High-Speed Rail that can divide our communities.” 50 Family Matters The Tates have always treasured family time and take great pride their children and grandchildren. Their son Greg works at Salesforce in San Francisco, and his wife Jennifer works at a startup. Recalling his teen years, Greg said, “We had a VW van. Dad did his own maintenance, changing spark plugs and the oil. He would ask me to help. He’s curious and likes to understand how things work. I’d watch him try to fig- ure things out, and when he couldn’t, I learned a few choice words too! We had fun and he taught me that you don’t have to know the answer, just work through the problem, and it’s okay to hit a few bumps along the way.” The Tates’ daughter Stacy teaches at St. Mary School in Gilroy and is married to Keith Huddleston, an IT Specialist. Their son Jared is working on his bachelor’s degree and their daughter Kylie attends CSU Monterey Bay. “When Jared was a baby, we lived on El Toro Court,” Stacy said. “One day Dad showed up at the door and said, ‘I’m on my way to work, can I come in? I just need to brush my hair.’ And I said, ‘Dad, you don’t need an excuse to drop in and see the baby!’ He and mom adore their grandkids and enjoy them as individuals, wanting to know what interests them and what they like to do.” Jared said of his grandfather, “He’s a people person who respects others. His being a city official opened my eyes to serving the community and influenced my decision to pursue a career as a police officer.” “Grandad’s proud when we do well,” Kylie said. “He’ll say, ‘Keep up the good work!’ Watching him has influenced my interest in being a social worker.” Next on the Agenda Come January, Steve will continue his involvement with Leadership Morgan Hill, Rotary and the Interact Club, and Friends of the Morgan Hill Library. In addition, he wants to improve local fundraising for the Boys & Girls Club. Steve said he’s “definitely going to get more active again.” In his younger days, he completed more than 15 mara- thons, including the Big Sur Marathon, the grueling Run to the Sun up Mt. Haleakala, and on his 50 th birthday, the 50-mile American River Run. Hip and knee issues ended his running, but Steve’s got plans to do more cycling. Last but not least, there’ll be more travel. “Jennifer and I are looking forward to Portugal next year and a cruise down the Mississippi in 2020. We both like the river cruise concept.” Here's to Our Man Tate! Decades of Dedicated Service GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN Mayor of Morgan Hill (12 years) Former member, Morgan Hill City Council (8 years) Former member, City of Morgan Hill Planning Commission (7 years) Committee member, Morgan Hill City/School District Liaison Committee Council Liaison, Morgan Hill Youth Action Council and Library Culture & Arts Commission  Current member, Past President, Board of Directors, Santa Clara County Library JPA Current member; Past President, Board of Directors, Cities Association of Santa Clara County Current member, Past President, Peninsula Division of the League of California Cities Alumnus; Past President, Board of Directors, Leadership Morgan Hill (2002-03) Current member, Past President, Board of Directors, Morgan Hill Rotary Club (2003-04) Board Member, Housing Trust of Silicon Valley (2005-2018) President, Cities Association, Santa Clara County (2014) Current Board member, Boys and Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley (2016)  Certificate of Recognition, Morgan Hill Centennial History Trail Co-chair (2005-06) CRA Award of Excellence, Adaptive Reuse of the Historic Granary, Morgan Hill RDA (2006) Allan McLeod Award, Commitment & Contribution to Interact Clubs, Rotary Int’l (2012) Leadership Morgan Hill Distinguished Alumnus Award (2016) Project Cornerstone Lifetime Asset Champion Award, YMCA (2017) Year of Carbon-Free Power Recognition, Silicon Valley Clean Energy (2018) Outstanding Philanthropist & Volunteer, Morgan Hill Community Foundation (2018) december 2018-january 2019 gmhtoday.com