We continue part two of a series profiling Merced mayoral candidates for the November election. Reporters Ameera Butt and Mike North sat down with Councilwoman Michele Gabriault-Acosta and former councilmember Stan Thurston. Acosta lost in her 2009 campaign against Bill Spriggs. Thurston sat on the city council from 1995 to 2003. Both agreed on the importance of public safety, tightening the city’s financial purse strings and a need for change in the city’s leadership. And both highlighted some differences in city retirement plans within their platforms.

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