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All but one Hollister City Council race is determined, with candidates for District 4 separated by 141 votes. Candidates who campaigned on slowing growth could sweep the election and have ensured a political shift on the dais for the next two years.
The mayoral race, which received the majority of campaign funds in the council election, saw challenger Roxanne Stephens defeat Mayor Mia Casey with 63.9% of the votes as of Nov. 9.
Casey, who was first elected mayor in 2022, said she was “deeply disappointed” in the results.
“Two years ago, I was elected in a landslide on a message of positive change, with voters rejecting the toxic behaviors of the former mayor,” she said via email. “I focused on my goals and am proud of what our council has achieved.”
Casey said “relentless” and “orchestrated” efforts by former mayor Ignacio Velazquez to discredit her throughout the last two years derailed her reelection bid.
“It’s a shame that voters were swayed by mudslinging and lies,” Casey said. “I am saddened I won’t be able to continue the good work we had begun, but I do wish the very best for Hollister.”
In response to her comment, Velazquez told BenitoLink it was Casey who had slandered him in the past.
Velazquez, who was elected in March to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, distributed at least four mailers primarily attacking Casey on land use and housing issues.
BenitoLink fact-checked the first mailer and found the claims false and misleading.
Stephens said she was surprised at her margin of victory but that it reflects the input she received throughout the campaign.
“In general, I felt a lot of positive responses to my messages when I was talking to people both when we were canvassing door to door, when I was talking to people at different events and meetings I attended,” she said. “My message seemed to resonate and the response was overwhelmingly positive.”
Stephens said her four years as a Hollister planning commissioner—appointed in 2019 by Velazquez—helped her develop relationships with staff, understand city functions and the process of running meetings, a key mayoral responsibility. In Hollister, the mayor does not have more power than the other four city council members.
“It was a great way to prepare someone who is going to step into this role,” she said. “I’m really glad I had that experience.”
Despite his early lead, Councilmember Tim Burns has fallen behind his challenger Priscilla De Anda.
He said regardless of the outcome, he hopes the council will treat each other with respect and courtesy.
“The new mayor, the other council member and my opponent, they all seem to be nice, committed, sincere, good people that have the best interest of the city at hand,” he said. “We’ll just have to wait and watch what they choose to do.”
De Anda did not respond to BenitoLink’s request for comment.
The largest upset, reflecting data released Nov. 9, was for the District 1 seat where Rudy Picha received 69.9% of the votes.
Neither Picha nor incumbent Rick Perez responded to BenitoLink’s request for comment.
Moving forward
Ahead of assuming mayoral duties in 2025, Stephens said she received a lot of advice from city and county leaders. To her, the biggest takeaway was to be transparent.
“To keep the public informed,” she said about her goals. “Whether it’s good news or bad news, because there is a sense that there hasn’t been a lot of transparency.”
She also acknowledged Casey and thanked her for her work.
“It’s not easy to do what she did,” Stephens said.
Burns said in his first term he learned patience, as many projects take years to complete.
“I walk around and I’m pleased with things I’ve seen where I’ve had an impact,” he said. “As an individual council member you can’t really change anything without the assistance of at least two other colleagues that support those things.”
He said that about 80%-90% of City Council business is not controversial, so members need to work together on the issues that can divide the council.
“That’s where the real work comes—to try to find some consensus,” he said.
As for the change in Hollister’s political landscape, he said he is interested in the new council’s strategy.
“They just clearly have a different state of opinion or mind,” he said. “I’ll be interested to see how they actually do what they propose to do in their slogan about slowing growth and not giving developers reductions in fees and not allowing a lot of housing to be built.”
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