Bill Gere, an appointed Rancho Murieta Community Services District director now seeking election, disputes published accounts of a controversy during his time as Hollister Municipal Airport manager. Photo by Gail Bullen

Bill Gere, who has cited his municipal experience as a qualification for serving on the Rancho Murieta Community Services District Board, left his position as Hollister Municipal Airport manager in 2008 following controversy over his removal of a proposed CAL FIRE base from a planning document.

Contemporary newspaper reports on SanBenito.com said Gere removed the proposal after the airport advisory commission recommended including it but before the plan reached the Hollister City Council. A Jan. 23, 2008, article, “Airport Manager Placed on Paid Leave,” described the change as unauthorized.

In a written response to the River Valley Times, Gere disputed that characterization, saying he was carrying out fiscal direction from City Manager Clint Quilter’s office to preserve airport land for revenue-generating aviation uses.

“Accusations that I made ‘unauthorized’ rogue changes were false,” Gere wrote.

Gere subsequently was placed on paid administrative leave, and his employment ended the following month. City officials did not publicly confirm whether the planning dispute prompted his leave, and SanBenito.com reported that it was unclear whether he was fired or left voluntarily.

Gere said his departure was voluntary because his family had decided to relocate to Palo Alto for his daughter’s schooling. He described the leave as a transition intended to ease political tensions before his departure.

At the Oct. 7 CSD candidate forum, Gere referred to his experience “having been a department head for a small-sized city down south of San Jose for a number of years.” He did not identify the city in that statement.

In his candidate responses published by the River Valley Times, Gere described his airport roles:

“For seven years, I served as the airport business liaison to the City Council and was later hired as airport manager. These roles provided valuable experience in municipal government, budgeting, long-range planning, regulatory compliance, and public safety.”

In his response for this story, Gere said he previously operated an aviation business at the airport for 10 years. Several years after selling it, he said, city leaders asked him to return to manage the airport, where he served from 2004 to 2008.

Gere said he accepted the position after discussions with the city manager and council members about financial reforms needed to address airport deficits, deteriorating buildings and below-market rents.

Competing plans for airport land

The planning dispute involved competing proposals for airport land. CAL FIRE sought to replace its more than 40-year-old air-attack base at the airport with a new base on a different airport parcel, while a private developer proposed a jet center on that parcel.

A Dec. 21, 2007, SanBenito.com article, “Airport Future Up to Council,” described the competing proposals. CAL FIRE sought part of a 20-acre parcel, while ABVision, a Saratoga-based company, wanted the entire parcel for a jet center.

Gere favored the jet-center proposal, arguing that it could bring jobs and revenue to Hollister. He questioned whether CAL FIRE needed to move to the proposed location and suggested expanding its existing site.

CAL FIRE officials said the proposed location would improve pilots’ visibility of runway traffic and provide room to replace aging facilities. The Dec. 21 article described plans for an aircraft maintenance hangar, operational facilities, pilot quarters and a control tower.

In his response, Gere characterized the proposal as a repair-and-support facility for CAL FIRE ground vehicles. He argued that it would consume the airport’s remaining expansion space and force the city to acquire adjacent developer-owned land for future growth.

Gere said the airport advisory commission’s recommendation did not establish city fiscal policy. He said Quilter oversaw the layout plan update and that the city manager, council leadership, and Gere agreed that the land should be reserved for revenue-generating aviation uses.

At a Dec. 17, 2007, council meeting, three airport commissioners told council members that Gere had removed the proposed CAL FIRE base from the plan they had recommended, according to the Jan. 23 article, “Airport Manager Placed on Paid Leave.” The council delayed approval after questions arose about the omission.

Gere said Quilter had asked him to meet again with stakeholders before that council meeting and that he presented the staff plan overseen by the city manager.

The airport advisory commission subsequently voted unanimously to restore the CAL FIRE proposal, according to a Jan. 4, 2008, article, “CalFire Back on Plans.” That article also reported Gere’s position at the time, which was that his revisions were not substantial.

Disputes with airport users

The controversy unfolded amid broader disagreements among airport users, business owners and management.

A Dec. 28, 2007, article, “Airport Factions Fight Over Future,” observed: “The only thing that the various factions seem to agree about is that nobody likes the airport manager.”

The same article reported that a petition calling for Gere’s removal garnered 115 signatures, according to Ruth Erickson, president of the Hollister Airmen’s Association. She said it had been presented to the City Council and city manager that fall.

The article also reported Gere’s argument that the airport had enough space to accommodate its different users, and that compromise was necessary to advance Hollister’s interests.

In his response, Gere said he had never personally seen the petition, although he did not doubt that one had been circulated. He attributed opposition to disputes over lease enforcement, below-market rents and efforts to expand corporate aviation.

“Turnaround management inevitably creates friction,” Gere wrote.

In a Jan. 11, 2008, letter to the editor published on SanBenito.com, Quest Richlife, owner of the Hollister Gliding Club and a former commuter-airline captain, said he welcomed jets and economic development as long as existing airport users were not pushed out.

He described his interactions with Gere as “truly horrible,” writing: “No Hollister merchant should be subjected to hostile yelling or irrational management decisions as I have been at the airport.”

Gere rejected Richlife’s allegations, saying he maintained professional standards and enforced rules equally among tenants.

Gere also challenged the tone of the earlier coverage, arguing that the three-part airport series and published letters gave undue weight to opponents of his management.

Leave and departure

The Jan. 23, 2008, article, “Airport Manager Placed on Paid Leave,” reported that Quilter confirmed Gere had been on paid administrative leave since Jan. 17. Quilter declined to confirm whether the leave was related to the layout-plan change. Mayor Doug Emerson also declined to discuss the circumstances.

On Feb. 26, 2008, SanBenito.com reported in “Hollister’s Airport Manager Is Out” that the city had announced Gere was no longer airport manager and would begin searching for a replacement. Gere had held the position for about three years.

The article said it was unclear whether he had been fired or left voluntarily.

Gere said his family’s relocation plans drove his decision to leave. He described his paid leave during his final weeks as a way to lower political tensions and transition his duties.

Asked how his Hollister experience would inform his CSD service, Gere said public leaders must consider community input while weighing available funds, regulations and long-term plans.

“The fundamental lesson from Hollister is one I carry with me today: in any public process, a leader’s duty is to serve the broader community need, not to subsidize special interests,” he wrote.