Mayor Ed reveals Hercules planning

By Erica Bridges
Staff Writer

City of Hercules Mayor Ed Balico made an appearance at the Junior State of America club meeting on Friday, Dec. 7 during fifth period lunch to give the members a brief taste of city politics and business. Invited to speak by the club's vice president Debbie Henderson, the guest speaker came to talk about the work involved in running the city.

Balico began by explaining the basic fundamentals of city organizations and the daily proceedings. The members present were eager to listen and ask questions.

Students learned that Hercules is run by the collaborative efforts of city managers, council members and other employees who dedicate their time to the development of the town. After his speech, Balico opened the discussion to questions from the JSA members.

Freshman Henry Hung, recently returned from his trip to Tsushima as a youth ambassador, asked how the relationship with the Japanese sister city of Hercules, will be maintained in the future.
"I hope that more kids will go there, come back and promote the relationship. More exchanges would be nice," replied Balico.

The topic of city transportation were brought up and Balico explained future projects, such as the ferry and Amtrak train stations, are to be completed in the next couple of years. The discussion also included city justice as Balico explained the components of the police station in Hercules.
"We think our cops are really friendly - I don't know about you kids," said Balico jokingly.
Senior Daniel Dunn asked if there were any plans for Hercules Middle/High School to eventually become two separate campuses.

Balico replied by saying, "It appears that at this time the school district doesn't have any money. Hercules doesn't fund for that, the district does."

Recent city accomplishments, such as the opening of the new teen center located down the hill from the community swim center, were also acknowledged.

The meeting came to a close as the bell for sixth period rang. Balico stayed a while longer to answer other questions after the meeting.

When asked about the impact Balico hoped to have upon the JSA members, he answered, “I want to give an input on general city government and explain how things are being run. I like to do good mentorship programs. The more you get yourself involved - the better you will be.”