Derek Timm voted in as new mayor of Scotts Valley

SCOTTS VALLEY >> Scotts Valley City Council installed a new mayor and vice mayor Wednesday night.

The council voted unanimously to elect Derek Timm as the new mayor for the city. Timm spent the 2020 calendar year as Scotts Valley’s vice mayor and moved up a seat to the head of the virtual table.

Similar to many of the city councils across the county, the mayor’s seat is filled by the previous year’s vice mayor.

“I’m excited. It’s just a real honor to have your community and the leaders around you recognize you that way,” Timm said. “It really is an honor and I take the role seriously.”

The City Council nominated two members to fill the briefly empty vice mayor seat, Donna Lind and Jim Reed. Reed won the seat in a 4-1 vote, including a vote from Lind.

Reed is a three-time former mayor of Scotts Valley and will be stepping into his fourth term as vice mayor of the city. Outside of his role for public service, Reed also serves as the chief of staff for Sam Liccardo, the mayor of San Jose.

“It’s a really enjoyable life for somebody to who believes in the mission of local government,” Reed said. “It certainly gives a good perspective. I’ve found that the San Jose experience has added to that. It’s made me a better council member.

Councilman Jack Dilles was the lone “no” vote for Reed. Lind did not receive a roll call vote because Reed won the majority in the first vote.

Timm and Reed now have their eyes set on the future of Scotts Valley. Timm’s key focus as the mayor is the economic revitalization of the city and making the community a safe place for everyone that lives within it.

“One of the things that has been a real challenge during COVID for our city is the economic base in our city,” Timm said.

The city has several plans to get that back on track. The first was the passing of Measure Z. The measure was a pre- COVID attempt to fill a financial gap the city was experiencing by implementing a three- quarter cent sales tax. The pandemic, followed by the CZU Lightning Complex fires, only exacerbated the need for financial stability in Scotts Valley.

Secondly, the city is looking to replace the K-Mart center that recently went out of business. The plan moving forward is for the vacant space to be taken over by Target.

“To say it was a trying year is an understatement. We had a piece of incredibly good news. Despite this economy, we had a major retailer in Target commit to Scotts Valley,” Reed said. “That is something that can resuscitate our hopes for a town center project.”

Timm expressed excitement about the acquisition of a Target in Scotts Valley, as well. He is optimistic it will create an opportunity for Scotts Valley to grow.

“Having a retailer like that in town really answers a true need. Landing Target as a retail and focusing on that economic recovery for the long term of our city has really given some hope to our community around the future there,” he said. “It’s just a real win for our community. It’s going to work as a catalyst for our city’s vision to build a town center.”

The town center project is the third facet to the revitalization of the local economy. Scotts Valley City Council hopes to create a space where residents can gather, shop, eat and experience cultural events such as concerts.

The idea for the town center is also to create a landscape for the city to construct more affordable housing. Both Timm and Reed hope to tackle the housing crisis felt around Santa Cruz County.

“The cost of housing here has been skyrocketing. Prices in our city are going up 20-25%. It is outrageous,” Timm said. “As a city, it is incumbent upon us to address the cost of housing.”

The city has come up with two plans to mitigate the rising costs of housing in the city, according to Timm and Reed. The first is expanding the affordable housing ordinance, as well as updating regulations on add- ons residents make to their homes that can serve as in-law units or detached apartments.

Lastly, Timm plans to move forward with the city’s general plan. The City Council is in the final stages of a plan that hasn’t been updated since 1994, he said.

Timm said he doesn’t plan to take the credit for the positive changes he expects to see over the next year. In fact, he wants to credit the entire council and the community at large for what’s to come in Scotts Valley. The many changes down the road are the community’s vision and the council sets the agenda, he said.

“This isn’t Derek Timm as he sees the world,” he said of his tenure as mayor. “This is what we’re doing to try and thrive as a community.”