Dear Editor,

It's no secret that columnist Ben Anderson been campaigning to get rid of me for a long time and made sure that during my re-election campaign he used his column and any other means he could to discredit me.

His last article published June 29 - as if he couldn't find anything else to write about - once again attempted to tell the community what he perceives to be another of the mayor's faults and did so without regard for the facts and the reasons that accompany them.

Let's get the first thing straight. I have a travel business and an insurance agency as my primary source of income for my family and, like any other of my colleagues who at times have to travel for their jobs, do so as needed.

Yes, there have been times that I have asked the council to move (not cancel) that second meeting in the month of June as it coincides with the time that our agency takes groups to a festival in the Azores. The council has always voted unanimously, as a courtesy to me, to do so as this way we still have the two monthly meetings.

Also, on some occasions other council members have taken this time to do their own planning for being away as they may need to do so.

Now, where Mr. Anderson's facts are not correct is with regard to the statement made that this has been going on for as long as I have been mayor. If he had checked the facts, he would have found that since 2003 there have been several times that I did not need to ask the council to change the meeting since I left on the Tuesday after the second meeting of the month.

I have sent him a list of the meetings. He will even find a time when the mayor pro tempore had a meeting while I was gone at the end of June.

I must also make the point that even though I may be away working I am in constant contact with City Hall and try to answer my emails also as a demonstration of my commitment to Gilroy and our residents.

Al Pinheiro, mayor, city of Gilroy