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Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009

Our View: Endorsements for mayor, City Council

Sun-Star recommends Spriggs, Blake, Rawling and Cervantes to help lead Merced.

Because Tuesday's election is local -- city council, mayor, school boards and Merced Irrigation District -- the turnout will probably be low.

Local elections aren't as glamorous as national and state elections. But the issues are even more important; just look at what has been going on in local government since this recession began.

Good leadership at the local level is even more important. With foreclosures, bank failures, high unemployment and tax revenues drying up, providing local services is even more problematic.

Tuesday, Merced is filling three vacancies on the City Council. And, Mayor Ellie Wooten has been termed out.

We have five excellent candidates for the council seats: Mary-Michal Rawling, Bill Blake, Josh Pedrozo, Carl Pollard and Richard Cervantes.

The Sun-Star's choices are:

Bill Blake is Merced born and raised, but that's not why we selected him. Blake is the undersheriff for the county and manages 400 employees. He is well-respected in the community and well-liked. He has strong background in law enforcement, but is new to elected politics.

Mary-Michal Rawling has been active in the community since moving here with her family seven years ago. She works for the Asthma Coalition and will bring a fresh perspective to the council.

Richard Cervantes is a welder who has grown up in Merced. He has served on the Planning Commission for two years. As a father and husband, he truly represents the city and would bring a blue-collar work ethic to the council.

Our choice for mayor (and there was much discussion about this) is Bill Spriggs. He is a real estate appraiser and has served on the City Council for eight years. Spriggs has a reputation as a maverick.

When the council hired the new city manager, 62-year-old John Bramble, Spriggs, who is 58, wondered if Bramble wasn't too old for the job.

But Spriggs is passionate about Merced and has represented the city on lobbying trips to Washington, D.C., and Sacramento. We expect the same devotion and enthusiasm from him as mayor.

So those are our recommendations. Do with them what you will, but get out there and vote on Tuesday.

Editorials are the opinion of the Merced Sun-Star editorial board. Members of the editorial board include Publisher Hank Vander Veen, Executive Editor Mike Tharp, Editorial Page Editor Keith Jones, Copy Desk Chief Jesse Chenault and Online Editor Brandon Bowers.