Three candidates are vying for two seats on the Scotts Valley City Council: Greg Wimp, Michael Zeller and Danny Reber. We asked some important questions and they replied:
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What must be included in the final Town Center agreement to earn your vote, particularly regarding housing, affordable units, retail space, traffic and public amenities?
Michael Zeller
regional transportation director
The Town Center agreement is our opportunity to create a vibrant, welcoming heart for Scotts Valley. A downtown that honors our small-town identity while serving generations to come. The Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) is our primary legal tool to secure tangible, long-term community benefits. What gets negotiated in that agreement between the city and developer, Swenson, will guide what gets built into our civic heart.
My focus for the residential mix is dedicated senior housing. As a walkable, mixed-use hub with daily services on-site, the Town Center can allow local seniors to downsize, age in place, and stay deeply connected to our community. At the same time, we must ensure our workforce, young families, and first responders can afford to live in the city they serve. With a down payment assistance program, established as a revolving endowment fund in perpetuity, we can expand housing access without risking city capital. A thriving city is one where people at every stage of life can put down roots.
On commercial vitality and public amenities, we need a mix of local retail and dining that keeps spending right here at home. Built using fair labor standards that support living wages for working families, the project must secure permanent space for a modern Senior Center and our planned community amphitheater.
Traffic and circulation planning must be fully integrated before entitlements are finalized. Internal bike and pedestrian networks must link seamlessly to our citywide system. Leveraging my background in regional transportation planning, I want to ensure these routes connect with demand-responsive senior mobility models so residents can navigate downtown safely without relying on cars. Crucially, circulation design must account for cumulative regional impacts, specifically coordinating access points and smart signalization or roundabouts with other planned developments, like Valley Gardens, to prevent severe bottlenecks on Mount Hermon Road.
My four-year goals: finalize a clear DDA with secured community benefits by mid-2027, complete entitlements within this term, and break ground.
Greg Wimp
incumbent
The Town Center must include a diverse housing component that includes affordable and market-rate units. The commercial space should be the right size indicated by market demands. It must be balanced to make it financially viable for a developer and also create the sense of place the community has been wanting for the Town Center for decades.
Community gathering spaces and features with flexible use space for things like fairs, farmers markets and live music are key. I fully support the inclusion of an outdoor amphitheater in the project. It should integrate with existing public and private amenities like Skypark, The Hangar, Senior Center, Community Center, Library, Community Theater and Transit Center. The plan must include adequate parking so the residential and commercial spaces can be successful.
Not necessarily a must but I would like to see a unique centerpiece that helps to make the Town Center a destination for visitors. Maybe an observation tower with a unique art installation. I picture something like the Cloud Gate “The Bean” in Chicago combined with a small observation tower with views of the valley. Or maybe it is a world-class rooftop rose garden combined with unique art installations. These features would bring joy to our citizens and their friends and family as well as attract visitors whose commerce would invest in our community. What do people think of when they think of Scotts Valley? Wouldn’t it be great to be known for something? “That’s the city with the…!”
Danny Reber
nonprofit executive director
In my opinion, there are three primary goals that need to be achieved with the Town Center Project and the most important thing will be to find a balance between all three that fits the culture and needs of our community:
- The town center needs to create a space for community. It needs to be a community hub and a place where we can all gather for community events.
- It needs to be a hub for commerce with businesses that attract people to want to come to shop, dine, and play.
- It also needs to find the right balance of housing that helps our City reach the goals mandated by the State as well as fill the desperate local need for affordable housing. It also needs to be attractive and built to the appropriate scale for our community.
What qualities should Scotts Valley seek in its next city manager, and how can the council make the selection process transparent?
Greg Wimp
I envision a leader that can build on the foundation that LaGoe has built with the staff she hired and carry out projects like the Town Center. We want a manager who will not just maintain the status quo but improve/build upon the foundation we have. The right person will be invested in the community, consistently engaging thoughtfully and creatively with community groups and community members.
The council can make the selection process more transparent by publishing clear timelines, allowing opportunities for community input, sharing clear information and holding public presentations with finalists for the position.
Danny Reber
I think the most important thing in the selection of a new City Manager to consider is not only to find someone qualified to meet the ongoing challenges of working with our limited budget and day-to-day operations but also to find someone with a vested interest in, and local roots to our community.
Scotts Valley is a small town with a unique culture and needs. What may work well in another community might not necessarily be what is best for Scotts Valley. We do some things differently here and that is not a bad thing. I sincerely hope that we can find a City Manager that truly appreciates our unique culture and is proud to be a part of our amazing community.
Michael Zeller
Selecting our next City Manager is one of the council’s most critical responsibilities and an opportunity to set an optimistic, proactive trajectory for Scotts Valley. We need an experienced chief executive who can step in on day one to manage two high-stakes priorities: negotiating the final terms of the Town Center DDA and leading upcoming municipal labor negotiations. Supporting our municipal workforce with competitive, fair standards strengthens the essential public services, public safety, and city operations our residents rely on every day. This requires a leader with strong financial acumen, public-sector labor experience, and proven success keeping city staff fully supported within strict budget limits.
Beyond short-term negotiations, the ideal candidate must possess long-range vision. Scotts Valley is navigating significant growth pressure, from state housing requirements to regional infrastructure demands. We need a manager with a deep background in economic development, grant acquisition, and land-use planning who knows how to deliver progress while protecting our community’s character.
Managing growth and preserving our small-town values can be complementary goals when led by a City Council that sets the vision and implemented by a skilled administrator. As a long-time resident, local parent, and public-sector leader with two decades of experience delivering infrastructure projects, I deeply value public service grounded in authentic community partnership. I want a City Manager who maintains high standards of operational excellence, fosters strong interagency partnerships across Santa Cruz County, and brings an open, accessible communication style to everyday interactions with local residents and business owners.
City projections show expenditures exceeding revenues by about $1 million annually in the near term. What revenues would you increase or what spending would you reduce to close that gap? Or will it close by itself?
Danny Reber
Meeting the needs and expectations for our City services and infrastructure with our limited budget is probably one of the biggest ongoing challenges that our City faces. Property tax is one of the main revenue streams most cities rely on to balance their budget. Compared to other cities, we receive a very small share, only about 6.5% compared to the statewide average of 11%. This requires us to rely more heavily on other revenues, particularly sales and other taxes such as the proposed TOT tax increase. Over the last several years, our City has worked on both sides of this equation, which has meant modernizing revenues, while also finding expense savings and managing costs. This is not an easy task to accomplish, while also retaining employees and investing in infrastructure, such as roads, parks and technology.
The good news is that the City’s long-term financial outlook has improved significantly. Just two years ago, forecasts showed annual General Fund deficits of more than $2 million. The current forecast shows that gap steadily narrowing. This improvement reflects the Business License Tax update as well as assumptions and continued efforts to manage costs. These forecasts also rely on the passage of Measure G, something I support. There is still a lot of work to be done but with the right Council and staff working together towards this goal, we are moving towards a more sustainable long-term financial position.
Michael Zeller
Scotts Valley’s projected structural deficit requires active, steady fiscal leadership paired with a positive vision for our economic future. On the revenue side, approving Measure G, which increases the Transient Occupancy Tax to 13%, is an essential first step. This tax is paid entirely by hotel visitors, protecting local residents while generating vital revenue for public safety and city infrastructure. At $2 for every $100 spent by visitors, Measure G will raise $300,000 to $400,000 annually for parks, roads, and public safety.
To fund major capital projects without burdening the General Fund, we must aggressively leverage external funding mechanisms. Utilizing tools like Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (EIFDs) allows us to capture incremental property tax growth to fund long-term infrastructure improvements. Having spent my career managing regional project delivery and programming state and federal funds, I know exactly how to position Scotts Valley to compete for SB 1 allocations, federal infrastructure dollars, and regional grants to ensure local tax dollars go further.
Every major land-use proposal must also be evaluated for its net fiscal impact prior to approval to ensure new development generates positive net revenue. To incentivize developers to negotiate rather than use state laws that allow them to bypass local approvals, I will champion for the city to join proven financing partnerships like CalCHA or CSCDA to unlock lower-cost capital for developers. Using that financing leverage, we negotiate real Development Agreements that include fees to fund city services, equity participation in project upside, and design standards that keep Scotts Valley’s character intact.
We must also support our local business community and streamline municipal permitting to accelerate new commercial investment. By pairing fiscal discipline with external funding, we can stabilize reserves above our 17% policy threshold while protecting the services that make Scotts Valley a wonderful place to live.
Greg Wimp
First we must understand the constraints to the budget. The share of property tax that Scotts Valley gets is only about 6.5% when the average city in California receives over 11%. This requires Scotts Valley to rely more heavily on other revenues like sales tax, TOT and other revenues.
The city has worked hard over the last couple of years to increase revenue and increase efficiencies. There have been modernization projects to increase efficiencies and adjustments to taxes/fees to increase revenue. For example, city staff modernized their phone system, which drastically reduced monthly fees for service. The good news is that the long-term forecasts have improved significantly but the work isn’t done. The Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District the city is working on in collaboration with the county is a positive step. I would look to city staff for more opportunities to manage expenses and/or grant opportunities that we as council can support. I think we can aggressively pursue grants that would benefit our city. One important piece of increasing revenue is the proposed Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) or hotel tax. This slight percentage increase on Scotts Valley hotel stays still keeps Scotts Valley hotels competitive while generating $300,000-$400,000 in additional revenue.
Work also needs to be done to attract and retain businesses in Scotts Valley. The recent arrival of Heron Power is an example of a success story of attracting a company to not only come to Scotts Valley but to expand further. The presence of strong businesses here drives our economy by providing good-paying jobs. This, in turn, provides income needed for city residents to patronize our local businesses. It also provides a source of money to invest in our city in special projects. We should ensure that the Town Center project is a financial net positive for the city. Bringing more events such as sports tournaments and/or conferences to the city will stimulate the economy. We will work towards getting the proposed new hotel over the finish line. Our city enjoys beautiful parks and safe neighborhoods due to the hard work and diligence of prior staff and council members. I would do my utmost to prioritize these things and creatively navigate the challenges ahead in collaboration with our fantastic staff who are dedicated to helping Scotts Valley thrive. As a team, I believe we will achieve great things for our beautiful city.