Candidate for
Council Member; City of Morgan Hill

Calling Alex Kennett civic minded just begins to describe his role in Morgan Hill.

Kennett is a businessman, running a company called Solutions, which coaches and mentors businesses. On the launch of Solutions, Kennett told the Morgan Hill Times, "My clientele consists of professionals or businesses where the owner knows well what they do but can't do the business part. I make it happen. I'm the organizer and facilitator bringing together a variety of players to get something done."

He recently sold his share of Gavilan Kennett Roepke, a food brokerage he owned for 22 years.

Kennett is a member of the board of directors of the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce. Kennett, a former chamber board chair and served as interim executive director, when the organization realigned its management structure in 2004. He also chairs the chamber's Economic Development committee and Government Review committee, and serves on the board of directors of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network.

Kennett also holds elective office as Director, District 1 - Santa Clara County Open Space Authority. He also serves as president of Morgan Hill Independence Day Inc., the all-volunteer organization that sponsors the city's July 4th commemoration. Outside of his civic and political activities, Kennett is past-president of the Jaguar Associate Group, a Bay Area group of Jaguar car owners that is the world's oldest Jaguar club and the largest of its kind in North America. Kennett is well qualified for that, owning three of the British vehicles and occasionally more.

Kennett sees himself as a bridge between business and the environment. He dedicates most of his time to his work on the Open Space Authority and is a strong advocate of fostering the adoption of alternative energy sources like solar power.

A Morgan Hill-area resident since 1979, Kennett was born in Los Angeles in 1946. He grew up in San Francisco, graduated from George Washington High School and moved on to Southern Oregon University in Ashland where he earned a BS in Chemistry and MS in History. He is also a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College.

Kennett enlisted in the National Guard, and re-enlisted after graduating from college. "It got really exciting after I went to flight school," he told the Morgan Hill Times. "I fought forest fires, rescued people and flew sick people to hospitals for years."

Desert Storm brought Kennett out of retirement. He then served as the liaison between the Department of Defense and FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For five years, he was an expert in disaster relief.

During Kennett's military career, he led six commands and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, led to a role speaking at the observance Morgan Hill holds to remember the events of September 11, 2001. He spoke at each year's ceremonies in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Patriotism was Kennett's theme at the September 11 ceremonies. "Freedom has never been free," he said, "and, as of late, it hasn't even been reasonably priced; but it's still there and ours for the keeping. Bless the USA and all she stands for. Bless this country in your own special way. Do you know why? Because you still can."

The willingness to serve extends below Alex's many duties. His wife Yarmila is an energy consultant and a residential designer who has designed many homes in Los Altos Hills and the Silver Creek Valley. She is also a former member of Morgan Hill's Planning Commission and is currently serving on the Architectural Review Board.

The Kennett's are parents of four grown children who together hold ten college degrees. They also have six grandchildren.