My Family Background
My father, Carmen Patane, was a prune grower in Gilroy. He was born at Wheeler Hospital in 1928. He and my mother, Mary Patane, an Italian immigrant, were married in 1962. They lived in my father’s family house adjacent to his prune dehydrator facility near the northwest corner of Monterey St. and Fitzgerald. In 1967, when I was 3 years old, he built what remains our family home on his 30-acre prune orchard on New Avenue (minus the prune orchard today). I have grandparents, aunts, uncles, and now my father who all rest at St. Mary and Gavilan Hills Memorial Cemetery here in Gilroy.
I am the oldest of four children, and we all attended Rucker Elementary and Gilroy High. I'm married to Stephen Blankley, a director in manufacturing and supply chain for Cisco Systems. We have two children, a 28-year old son, Andrew, who works as an electrical and computer engineer, and a 26-year old daughter, Stephanie, who works as a robotics software engineer. Shelter/rescue dogs Sydney and Dexter bring to our household joy beyond words. Please, adopt if you can, and always spay/neuter your pets.
Experience
- City councilwoman since January 2018, Mayor Pro Tempore in 2019, and elected Mayor in 2020. To see my accomplishments since being on the council, visit the "Accomplishments" tab or click the button below.
- I serve on the VTA Board (Valley Transportation Authority) as a representative of Gilroy and work also with CalTrain.
- I serve as the Gilroy City Council representative to the South County Youth Task Force, a collaboration of county agencies and school districts to support diversion programs and at-risk youth.
- I served two terms on Gilroy’s Planning Commission, from 1992-1999.
- I've been an active member of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce since 1994 and a past Board member. Annually, I volunteer at the Chamber's "Rock the Mock" event together with the Gilroy Unified School District at both Gilroy and Christopher High Schools, helping students with job interview skills and building their self-confidence through mock interviews.
- I am active in Gilroy Rotary, a service organization of which I’ve been a member since 1995 and a past Board member. I’ve been involved with and chaired many Rotary committees over the years and am proud of the service and charitable giving our Club provides.
- I'm a former President of the Gilroy Assistance League, an organization of 35 women who work tirelessly to raise money for Gilroy schools and youth programs.
- I’ve served two terms as a Board Member of the Gilroy Foundation, following several years as an Advisory Board Member.
- I’m a member of St. Mary Parish in Gilroy where I’ve served as a lector at Mass since the mid-1990s and continue to do so. I served for several years on the Parish Finance Council. I am also a member of the Italian Catholic Federation and a former Board member of St. Mary School.
- I've been involved with the Gilroy Gang Task Force since 1997. I've worked together with many of our city leaders in an effort to raise money for at-risk youth in Gilroy. Since 2014, I've been Treasurer and directly involved with efforts that have funded City of Gilroy Recreation, National Night Out, South Valley Middle School, Victory Outreach, Youth Alliance, the Gilroy Youth/Boxing Center at 6th & Railroad St., and the Police Youth Academy.
- Lastly, I sang the National Anthem in public for the first time at the 2023 Gilroy Rodeo. What an experience! Very moving.
Community First
I believe in community service, giving back, and taking an active role in finding solutions to existing problems. Those who know me know that my drive and determination are hard to match. I work hard to attract economic development and revenue drivers to Gilroy, and to manage our spending by stretching dollars as far as we can to pay for the city services we all deserve.
So much of what we can and cannot do locally is determined at higher levels of government. I will always be the biggest champion of retaining local control of our city government, ensuring that our local voices drive local policy, and that our city services and quality of life can keep up with population growth. I’m a proven leader without ulterior motives or political ambitions beyond helping Gilroy thrive. I know firsthand that our Gilroy community is full of heart, heart that drives me every day to do the best that I can for the community I love. I humbly ask for your vote and your support as I seek re-election. Please join me.