Patterson Irrigator

January 7, 2009 Patterson, CA

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OUR VOICE

Written by PI Editorial Staff

Friday, 17 October 2008

Molina offers the leadership Patterson needs in its mayor

Patterson residents will have a difficult choice to make on Nov. 4. They are faced with two strong mayoral candidates with few substantive differences on the issues facing our city.

Both Mayor Becky Campo and challenger Luis Molina oppose the current West Park proposal but understand the need for a strong, positive relationship with whomever winds up developing the former Crows Landing Naval Airbase.

Both have clear, sensible ideas of how and how much Patterson should grow. And both bring impressive resumes, filled with years of public service, to the table.

The choice, in the end, is between Campo’s experience in local government and Molina’s leadership qualities and charisma. That’s probably an oversimplification, but those are truly their biggest differences.

These are difficult times for our country and our city, and this is certainly a pivotal election on both fronts.

We believe what Patterson needs in times like these is a leader who can mold relationships with other government entities while maintaining strength and resolve on behalf of local residents. Patterson needs a leader who will make it a priority to actively engage both new and old residents and work to get them involved in solving this city’s issues.

We believe that leader is Luis Molina, and we believe he is the best choice for mayor in this election.

Incumbents Annette Smith and Dominic Farinha are the clear choices for the two open City Council seats. Each has a wealth of experience in local government and knowledge of how it works. And both have displayed a broad understanding of the issues facing Patterson and how those issues should best be handled.

Challenger Anne Ielmini Stokman brings the extensive background in health care that the Del Puerto Health Care District needs. Incumbent Ed Maring has decades of experience and has the leadership necessary to move things forward. They are our picks for the two open seats on the health care district board.

The city of Patterson deserves support from its state-level elected officials, and John Eisenhut has proven that he takes West Side concerns to heart. Eisenhut also strongly supports education and opposes Proposition 8. For these reasons, we support Eisenhut for the 26th Assembly district.

Measure S will impose a half-cent sales tax to fund transportation projects in Stanislaus County. Half of the money generated by the tax will go to predetermined projects throughout the county, while the other half remains in the city in which the money was spent. That increased revenue for Patterson’s roads and streets is worth a small sales tax increase. We urge a “yes” vote on Measure S.