The Stockton Record has endorsed Ben Cantu, a newcomer to the political scene for Manteca's city council. However, they call Ben as being the 'new blood'. We beg to differ.
Ben Cantu has retired from the city of Manteca as a planner and states very openly that over the twenty years he has been on the employment of the city he did not like how it was run. Why then did he quit? He waited for his retirement, simple. I view this as a timid man who not only does not speak out when the time needed someone to do it, but he also condemns the very actions of previous councils that he was a very strong instrument in the planning of what he says 'went wrong'.
Ben Cantu is also against anyone from the "outside" moving into Manteca. He wants to keep it strictly for those who are from here. He is also a part of what Dennis Wyatt calls, THE CLUB. Here is an excerpt from the article:
THE CLUB: Apparently the service club to belong to in Manteca if you want to serve on the Manteca City Council is the Kiwanis, or more specifically, the Manteca Noon Kiwanis that meets Tuesdays at David & Sylvia's.
It counts among its membership rolls Mayor Willie Weatherford, Councilman Jack Snyder, Councilman John Harris and council candidate and current club president Ben Cantu.
Steve DeBrum - who is also up for re-election Nov. 4 along with Snyder - is a member of the Sunrise Kiwanis. As a footnote, council candidate Samuel Anderson is a former member of the Sunrise Kiwanis.
Clearly the Record and those in THE CLUB are in this together. They have realized that because of Samuel Anderson's door to door grassroots campaign, Jack Snyder is now too old to sit on the council and has no fresh ideas. I agree. However, we need new city council people who are not affiliated with THE CLUB and can actually get things done. The Stockton Record has endorsed two candidates for obvious reasons and this is exactly what they did in the 2006 election against Samuel Anderson, more of the same that has brought us more debt, and more crime.
Ben Cantu has retired from the city of Manteca as a planner and states very openly that over the twenty years he has been on the employment of the city he did not like how it was run. Why then did he quit? He waited for his retirement, simple. I view this as a timid man who not only does not speak out when the time needed someone to do it, but he also condemns the very actions of previous councils that he was a very strong instrument in the planning of what he says 'went wrong'.
Ben Cantu is also against anyone from the "outside" moving into Manteca. He wants to keep it strictly for those who are from here. He is also a part of what Dennis Wyatt calls, THE CLUB. Here is an excerpt from the article:
THE CLUB: Apparently the service club to belong to in Manteca if you want to serve on the Manteca City Council is the Kiwanis, or more specifically, the Manteca Noon Kiwanis that meets Tuesdays at David & Sylvia's.
It counts among its membership rolls Mayor Willie Weatherford, Councilman Jack Snyder, Councilman John Harris and council candidate and current club president Ben Cantu.
Steve DeBrum - who is also up for re-election Nov. 4 along with Snyder - is a member of the Sunrise Kiwanis. As a footnote, council candidate Samuel Anderson is a former member of the Sunrise Kiwanis.
Clearly the Record and those in THE CLUB are in this together. They have realized that because of Samuel Anderson's door to door grassroots campaign, Jack Snyder is now too old to sit on the council and has no fresh ideas. I agree. However, we need new city council people who are not affiliated with THE CLUB and can actually get things done. The Stockton Record has endorsed two candidates for obvious reasons and this is exactly what they did in the 2006 election against Samuel Anderson, more of the same that has brought us more debt, and more crime.
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