|
“I ask the tough questions. ... I don’t let anyone walk all over me.”
— Jim DeMartini Stanislaus County supervisor, candidate for re-election
“... I get along with everyone. I’m not going to attack anyone in a public meeting.”
— John Fantazia Newman mayor, candidate for 5th District supervisor
Supervisor Jim DeMartini is decked out as a wooden Pinocchio puppet next to the words “It’s time to tell the truth!” in a recent mailer.
The campaign literature, which aims to promote the normally congenial Newman Mayor John Fantazia as a county supervisor candidate, accuses DeMartini of lying about Fantazia’s stance on the proposed 4,800-acre PCCP West Park industrial center. It also says DeMartini wrongly accused other supervisors of taking money from West Park and hints that DeMartini helped Supervisor Jeff Grover get elected in secret hopes that Grover would put in a vote for West Park.
DeMartini, who is blunt and vocally critical of opponents at public meetings, has little to say about Fantazia’s campaign, other than that he thinks he and his opponent have gotten along well in the past and that he figures Fantazia got some bad campaign advice.
The District 5 supervisor’s race appears to be a topsy-turvy affair, and the West Park project at the Crows Landing Air Facility has taken center stage in the campaign. Though DeMartini and Fantazia both say they oppose West Park because of its size and the impact of trains on Patterson, they have different philosophies on how to accomplish their goals.
DeMartini maintains the ferocity of a bulldog toward people who he thinks stand in the way of his goals.
Fantazia prefers a more understated approach and says he would work with other supervisors and talk with them in hopes of changing their minds.
Both candidates say a half-percent sales tax measure is needed to improve local roads, and both have similar views on measures to control flooding of Orestimba Creek.
Ultimately, voters will decide June 3 which philosophy they think is best.
Taking a stand
Nobody has to wonder what’s on DeMartini’s mind. The supervisor has become known during the past four years as a man who wears his convictions on his sleeve — and as a strong advocate for West Side issues.
“That’s kind of the way I am,” DeMartini said. “I ask the tough questions. … I don’t let anyone walk all over me.”
The 54-year-old farmer, who grows various crops between Patterson and Ceres, says be thinks his greatest accomplishments include his work on the county agriculture element and an ordinance regulating scrap metal sales. He also takes pride in his role spearheading a group of local health leaders to discuss ways to improve access to medical care on the West Side.
He said he has asked difficult questions of West Park lead developer Gerry Kamilos, seeking specifics about the industrial park’s need for a subsidy and potential demand for the project from businesses.
“I felt that I’ve done the job for the West Side,” DeMartini said. “I feel that I’ve done what I had said I was going to do.”
DeMartini said he has met hardly anyone on the campaign trail who favors West Park, particularly after he tells them that Dallas-based Hillwood, another developer, also hoped to build at the Crows Landing Air Facility.
DeMartini has not hidden disdain for Kamilos and has accused both supervisors and community advocates who favor West Park of being paid for their stances.
With his blunt personality, DeMartini has made his share of enemies in the past few years. An anonymous online video that showed up on YouTube.com in 2007 questioned his business dealings and made implications about marital infidelity, and Doug Sweetland of the Alliance, a Stanislaus County-based economic development agency, lambasted him for opposing state bond funding for West Park.
Looking ahead, DeMartini said he aims to hold West Park accountable, particularly as the project’s environmental review process begins.
He also says the road will be tough for the county as a whole, with budget cutbacks proposed to deal with a deficit, but he believes the county will pull through.
“We’ll get through it, because we’re a lot more responsible than the state of California,” DeMartini said, “but we’re preparing for the worst.”
A listening ear
Fantazia has served eight years on the Newman City Council, including two years as mayor, and he figures the time is right to step into the supervisor’s position.
Born and raised in Newman, the 48-year-old is the parts manager for Turlock Dairy and Refrigeration.
He said that, as mayor, he has learned that he must put the feelings of the community above his own, and he regularly encounters people in public who ask him about particular issues.
“I think I have a good demeanor, and I get along with everyone,” Fantazia said. “I’m not going to attack anyone in a public meeting.”
In addition to serving as mayor, Fantazia is chair of the Stanislaus Council of Governments policy board, and he serves on the board of the Alliance and as an alternate on the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission. He has advocated in Washington, D.C., on behalf of flood control for Orestimba Creek and is president of the League of California Cities’ Central Valley division.
Like DeMartini, Fantazia takes issue with the “humongous” size of West Park’s proposal. However, he said he would like to think he has better negotiating and people skills than the supervisor, and he thinks a diplomatic approach could have prevented West Park from getting the board’s preliminary go-ahead vote.
“Jim’s a nice guy to talk to, but the way he talks in public meetings — it’s almost embarrassing to me,” Fantazia said.
In addition to trying to limit West Park to the 1,527-acre airbase, instead of the planned 4,800 acre site, Fantazia said he wants to get more jobs on the West Side, specifically in Crows Landing, in hopes that doing so will make it easier for local residents to afford a home.
“No matter who (the developer) is, we need jobs,” he said.
He also plans to champion improved roads and better health care.
Though he admitted that the Pinocchio ad featuring DeMartini might have been a bit much, Fantazia said he stands by the verbal content of the advertisement. He said he thought he had to do something to defend himself, saying DeMartini had told people privately that Fantazia was supported by West Park.
“I’m pretty much an honest, straightforward guy,” Fantazia said. “I think my reputation sticks up for itself.”
On the campaign trail
Just as their political styles differ, DeMartini and Fantazia also are running very different campaigns.
DeMartini has said nothing negative publicly about Fantazia, although he said Fantazia’s consultant had provided bad campaign advice regarding the mailer. He denied that he’s told others West Park backs Fantazia and said he does not think that is the case. He also noted that he and Fantazia have worked together on various projects and that he thought they got along well.
Dozens of elected representatives, including several on the West Side, have endorsed the incumbent. Those include all the members of the Newman City Council except Fantazia and all the members of the Patterson City Council except Dejeune Shelton, who has not endorsed anyone.
Patterson Mayor Becky Campo said she hopes to eventually run for the supervisor’s seat herself and noted that she is a Democrat, while DeMartini is a Republican. Still, she said DeMartini has done a great job representing the West Side.
In addition to his stance on West Park, which she shares, she said the supervisor has showed up to more Patterson City Council meetings than previous representatives and puts in hours of work each week.
“I think he’s earning his money,” she said.
Campo expressed disgust with Fantazia’s attack mailers, though she said she had gotten along well with him in the past.
But Fantazia has collected several supporters of his own, including former District 5 Supervisor Paul Caruso and several Patterson, Newman and Crows Landing residents. Kirk Lindsey of the California Transportation Commission has given financial support.
Caruso described Fantazia as a “people person” and said the fact that he lives on the West Side would be an asset.
“(Fantazia) is quiet, but I think he has the ability to listen to all the people,” Caruso said.
Caruso said he thought DeMartini, on the other hand, needed to be removed immediately, blaming the supervisor for West Park’s approval by the rest of the county board.
“He lost the vote in his own district, and that’s pathetic,” he said. “In my term in office, it would not have happened.”
Both candidates have kept busy making the rounds and spending campaign money.
As of March 24, Fantazia had raised $6,524, spent $5,807 and lent himself $1,000. DeMartini had lent himself $55,000, spent $20,251 and received $350 in contributions.
DeMartini hit the campaign trail several months ago, while Fantazia said he just got started this spring. Both candidates continue to visit with folks in Ceres, Patterson and Newman, getting the word out about their accomplishments and their goals.
“Our basic philosophy is probably not a whole lot different,” DeMartini said. “It’s just a question of who will be more effective.”
To reach Jonathan Partridge at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
a lady wrote in the modesto bee blog describing how mr. fantazia ruined her at her job..i would post the blog here but not sure if i can cause it is pretty scathing!!
this woman even signed her name..it was a very sad story. she is claiming the mayor of newman actions even caused her to lose her home, she said in no way is he a quiet, honest person.
this is not good, as fantazia should not be making fun of jim demartini...
face it john, you are not going to win...