Scotts Valley Mayor Randy Johnson, Councilmember Jack Dilles not seeking reelection

When prompted Friday afternoon on whether he would seek reelection, Scotts Valley Mayor Randy Johnson responded in essential Johnson fashion. 

“What does the Book of Ecclesiastes say? For everything there is a season?” said Johnson, who has been known to rely on the authors and philosophers of the Western canon for the perfect quote or reference. “It’s time to pass the baton to other candidates who wish to serve.” 

By many measures, 28 years across seven consecutive terms is more than a season. Johnson has been taking votes on the direction of Scotts Valley for longer than more than a quarter of the city’s residents have been alive, according to the latest census data. 

Johnson first campaigned in 1996, with a platform focused on fixing the bumpy Scotts Valley Drive. As he prepares to leave office at the end of the year, he still views Scotts Valley as a “diamond in the rough,” with a lot of momentum. During Johnson’s final year on the city council, local leaders have breathed new life into the community’s vision for the Town Center development, the decades-old plan to build a proper downtown on the site of the old Skypark runway. The city is close to officially acquiring the property from the City of Santa Cruz and updating its vision for what a downtown Scotts Valley could look like. 

However, Johnson said the city has many challenges ahead. He pointed specifically to the state mandate that Scotts Valley build 1,220 new housing units between 2023 and 2031, an 800% increase over the state’s requirements in the previous eight-year period. The mayor said he was confident that city staff and the future city councilmembers would steer Scotts Valley into a better future. 

“We have the people who will do the right thing,” Johnson said. “I also have confidence that moving forward, I’ve done what I can do to make the city a better place.”

The city’s rate of growth was what inspired Councilmember Jack Dilles to run for office in 2016. Eight years later, with some time as mayor during that tenure under his belt, Dilles said he would not return to the ballot in November; his city council career will end at the close of 2024. 

“I’ve enjoyed it immensely,” Dilles told Lookout. “It’s good. I’ve liked having a say.”

Dilles, who approached politics after a long career in government finance, said he planned to stay active in bicycle and mountain biking politics, with a particular focus on making Scotts Valley Drive bike-friendly. He said he is concerned about Scotts Valley’s financial position, as the city is projected to fall into a deficit if it cannot find new revenue sources or cut back on its services. A potential part of fixing that deficit is the business license tax increase the city council placed on this November’s ballot. If approved by voters, the tax could bring in an additional $1.1 million annually for the city. 

He also pointed to housing as “the big challenge,” especially as the state has stripped away local control so that developments now face fewer political hurdles.  

“I ran because of concerns about the growth of development,” Dilles said. “I’m not against development or growth, but my concern is building without enough infrastructure to go with it. I’ve learned a lot about this since, and have relaxed on it since cities don’t have much choice now anyway.” 

Johnson and Dilles’ decision to step down has opened up a crowded field vying for the city council seats. Incumbent Donna Lind will seek reelection to her post, while John Lewis, Krista Jett, Corky Roberson and Mercedes Molloy seek their first terms. Since Johnson and Dilles are eligible incumbents who decided to not run for reelection, the filing deadline for a spot on the Scotts Valley City Council ballot has been extended to this Wednesday.

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