Message from Tom

As we enter November, the holiday season begins with Thanksgiving. The fall season has changed the weather, with the cool evenings and the leaves becoming very colorful. While we do not have the true four seasons, fall is one that mimics the same process no matter where you live. The days become shorter, and we make our adjustments to this. It is one of my favorite seasons, because it causes me to be reflective of the year that is ending, and introspective of how truly blessed I am to live in the city of Gilroy.

This marks the beginning of something I ended forty-five years ago. Sharing my thoughts on subjects through my column “In Cline’s Corner” in the Oak Leaf, Live Oak High School’s newspaper. I was a prolific writer and used it to share my thoughts on subjects that were important to me and to our school community. It was something I enjoyed doing, writing over ten thousand column inches of print my senior year that to this day, no one has beaten. But events happened in the middle of my senior year that changed my life, and my writing voice quieted down.

Why am I thankful? First, as a follower of Christ, I am so grateful for the love, grace, and mercy of my Savior. He is the constant in my life that supports and sustains me through all the challenges I face. Secondly, my family is the glue that keeps me together and focused on what is most important, which is them! Third, my team that helps me run Cline Glass Contractors does such a wonderful job with the company and is such great support in everything I do in this community.

Then there is this community that I live in. When I immigrated to Gilroy from Morgan Hill thirty-eight years ago, it was my chance to start all over again. And over this time, I have raised a family, been a part of New Hope Community Church, Gilroy Little League, Youth Soccer, Gilroy High School with my kids and all their activities; Exchange Club, Gilroy Garlic Festival, Gilroy Chamber of Commerce, Gilroy Rotary, and of course, the Gilroy City Council. When I was elected in 2022, it was a mandate for me to serve this community with total commitment and unrelenting support. And for the past three years, my actions show that I have done that. I am thankful for our mayor and council members that I serve with, and the city staff that I am able to collaborate with and support. This is truly an exceptional group of people that I have been blessed to be a part of.

While there is always change, I am so thankful to be a part of a community that is still a constant of love and support to me and my family. Happy Thanksgiving!