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Mayor, council races take shape |
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Written by John Saiz | Patterson Irrigator
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Friday, 25 July 2008 |
At least three people will likely compete to be Patterson’s next mayor, and another four may run for two seats on the Patterson City Council.
Mayor Becky Campo will run against Patterson Planning Commissioner Luis Molina and political newcomer Angel Garcia in the November election. All three took out paperwork from City Hall last week to get the ball rolling.
Michael Anderson also took out papers to run for mayor, but the local activist said he has already withdrawn due to medical reasons.
With two council seats up for the taking, incumbents Dominic Farinha and Annette Smith have taken out papers, along with 2006 mayoral candidate Victor Slonksnis and political rookie Darin Carter. Carter said he remains undecided on whether he will run.
Molina and Campo had announced their intentions to run before taking out nomination papers. Molina was the first to throw his hat in the ring in February, when he had a brief rally on the steps of City Hall.
Campo declared her intention to run again during the commencement speech for the Apricot Fiesta in May.
Officially, people were allowed to pull nomination papers as of July 14. Papers will no longer be available after Aug. 8.
Prospective candidates need signatures from 20 registered Patterson voters for their names to appear on the ballot. None of the candidates expects that to be a difficult benchmark.
When elections roll around, the top two vote-getters for the City Council will win the open seats, while the mayoral race is a winner-take-all affair.
Many candidates share similar views about Patterson’s financial stability. Several have discussed pursuing retailers to put money in the city’s coffers.
“We need retail growth,” Smith said. “We need that sales tax money.”
Smith has been on the council about two years. She was appointed to fill a vacancy after a previous council member stepped down. Before being appointed, she had made an unsuccessful run for a council seat.
Carter, who moved to Patterson from San Jose in 1998, said residents want leaders who will guide them through tight economic times.
“Things are not easy right now,” he said. “The people need someone to lean on.”
He talked about attracting business to Patterson to provide jobs.
Garcia, the other newcomer to local politics, also wants to shake things up.
“We need a mayor that wants to see more and higher-paying jobs,” he said.
Garcia has worked about three years as general manager for Best Western Villa Del Lago. He suggested a stronger marketing campaign to get new employers in the city.
“Just like the hotel industry, if you want customers, you have to go out and get them,” he said. “Let them know we are a friendly place to do business.”
Slonksnis joined in the chorus calling for change. “Things aren’t getting done,” he said. “I want to be there to make change for the better.”
He hopes to put a multi-tiered parking lot in downtown, he said.
Slonksnis, who owns a local computer repair business, lost his bid for mayor in 2006 to Campo. At that time it was reported he had been convicted on felony charges in 2003 for threatening to kill his wife. Since then, he has completed a series of court mandates to have his record expunged, he said.
Council incumbent Farinha has spoken about the need to stay focused on issues facing the city today, including a 7½-square-mile industrial center the county is planning a little south of Patterson, revisions to the general plan, and the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint, a multi-county plan for future development.
Farinha is a policy planner with Alameda County and was appointed two years ago to fill a council vacancy.
“We need to decide how much we’re going to grow, how we want to grow and how do we take advantage of the I-5 commerce,” he said.
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