(Contributed photo)
WATSONVILLE — When Nancy Bilicich completes her second full stint in November as Watsonville City Councilwoman, she will “term out,” and cannot run for the seat again. But she said she will not be ready to leave politics.
“I like serving the people, and I like listening to what they have to say to solve things,” she said. “I want to make it better for all the residents in Watsonville.”
And so Bilicich said she plans to run for the Santa Cruz County Supervisor Fourth District seat in the June 2018 election.
If elected, Bilicich said she would be the first female to hold the Fourth District seat.
“I want to continue serving the community, and this feels like the next step,” she said. “The community has been extremely supportive of me.”
Bilicich also serves as director of Watsonville/Aptos/Santa Cruz Adult Education, a position she has held since 2008.
That is the current apex of a career in education that began as a teacher in 1975, and includes positions such as guidance and academic counselor.
In addition, Bilicich has served as principal and assistant principal at five schools in Pajaro Valley Unified School District, and has held six administrative roles in that district.
Her resume also boasts memberships to professional organizations and awards too numerous to list in this story.
Bilicich was appointed to fill the Watsonville City Council Seventh District vacancy left when Dale Skillicorn died in 2009, and has been reelected to the seat twice.
Bilicich said her support among the community is also evidenced by the passage of Measure I in 2014, which changed the way the city’s mayor is chosen.
Previously, the mayor was appointed by the council. Now, that selection is done on a rotating basis.
When the measure passed, Bilicich was next in line to take the seat, a move she said was not likely to occur without the measure.
“I found it was a very humbling experience,” she said of her yearlong mayorship.
Bilicich was quick to share whatever progress the city has seen with her fellow city council members.
In fact, she deflected all questions about her successes on the council.
“You can’t do it alone,” she said. “It’s a team effort.”
Bilicich will be entering a crowded ticket during the campaign. Council members Jimmy Dutra and Felipe Hernandez have also stated their intention to run. Since the seat does not carry term limits, incumbent Greg Caput can also run.
If elected to the Board of Supervisors, Bilicich said she would among other things focus on the levee that helps keep the Pajaro River from overflowing its banks and flooding the surrounding farmland and community.
That would be a continuation of work from her time on the Flood Control and Water Conservation District Zone 7, the board that oversees the decisions made about the levee.
Santa Cruz County officials in 2012 completed the Bench Excavation Project, which raised the levee and widened the channel to allow water to flow more easily. That project does not yet fully protect the community, she said.
“There is so much more to do,” she said of the levee. “I want to make sure that our residents are safe and that we are protected from flooding.”
That project is complicated, because it involves working with agencies from several counties.
“It’s a big deal but we can make it work,” she said.
Bilicich also said she would look at Measure D, the half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2016 that is expected to generate an estimated $500 million for transportation projects.
In addition, Bilicich said she would work to grow Watsonville’s businesses community, which already includes the S. Martinelli & Company and Annieglass, as well as Gizdich Ranch and Prevedelli Farms.
“I love the City Council and I think I’ve done a lot there,” she said. “But it’s time for me to move on to other things, and I think I will be a strong supervisor as long as I continue to listen to the people.”
