Livingston City Council member announces mayoral campaign. But will the current mayor run?
The election is months away, but contenders in the race for Livingston’s mayoral seat are already lining up.
Livingston City Councilmember Jose Moran announced his candidacy on social media this week, stating in a Facebook post directed at supporters that “Together, we will bring integrity, accountability and transparency to City Hall.”
Votes won’t be cast until the election in November, but Moran told the Sun-Star that he feels “very confident” he’s garnered enough support during his tenure as a City Council member to secure the title of mayor.
Current Livingston Mayor Juan Aguilar, who is serving his first term, told the Sun-Star that it’s too early for him to think about whether he’ll campaign again. If he does seek another two years though, Aguilar said he “absolutely” has the community support to secure reelection.
Only time will tell who will be on the official candidate list. But Moran’s early announcement underscores the atmosphere of political tumult that largely defined Livingston throughout 2021.
The city saw three different men serve as Livingston police chief last year, ultimately ending with a Merced County Sheriff’s lieutenant stepping in as interim chief after former chief John Markle was terminated. The unexplained termination led some residents to protest what they saw as signs of corruption.
Markle recently filed a government claim against his former employer, potentially signaling a future lawsuit.
Former city manager Jose Ramirez was also terminated by a majority City Council vote last year. Moran cast the lone dissenting vote. The termination also triggered protest at the time and later led to Ramirez filing a claim against the City of Livingston, too.
Plus, a recall campaign to remove the mayor and every City Council member with the exception of Moran gained speed last year but ultimately fell short of the number of necessary signatures to trigger a recall election.
Aguilar acknowledged the staff changes and that, to some extent, they hindered accomplishing certain goals last year.
“Obviously there’s been a lot of political stuff going on, a lot of changes with staffing,” Aguilar said. “We’re happy, after the recall effort, to open a new chapter in our city,” he added.
Moran, himself a proponent of the recall effort, appears to feel the city has yet to open a new chapter, noting what he sees as a lack of trust from the public toward City Hall.
It’s because of that feeling of mistrust that Moran decided after Tuesday’s City Council meeting that he would announce his candidacy for mayor, he told the Sun-Star.
“I think I can provide more confidence to the residents of Livingston and more confidence in City Hall,” Moran said. “Right now, the residents in general don’t have that confidence.”
Livingston mayor tentative on second term
Aguilar succeeded incumbent Gurpal Samra as Livingston’s mayor during the November 2020 election. With several months left in his two-year term, Aguilar said he’s focused on being a public servant rather than whether he’ll campaign again.
“To me, its too early to be thinking about that stuff. My focus and my priority is to continue on current challenges and goals for this year,” Aguilar said.
Last year laid the groundwork for projects to come to fruition in 2022, the mayor said. He noted progress with solar panel projects, approving plans for major apartment complexes and securing the Proposition 68 grant that awarded a $7.3 million to fund a new recreation center.
Whoever carries the title of mayor, Aguilar said the city’s big needs will continue to be water quality, public safety, economic development, road conditions and the state of local infrastructure as the city grows.
Even if Aguilar isn’t in the mayoral seat as those projects progress, he said he’ll maintain his involvement with the community as he has throughout his life. Aguilar was born in Merced and raised in Livingston. He currently works as a clinical social worker and has been a volunteer fireman in Livingston for several years.
“Regardless if I have a title or no title, I’ll still give back to my community,” Aguilar said. “That’s where my hearts at.”
Prospective mayor candidate vows to end alleged corruption
Moran too was elected to a four-year City Council term during the November 2020 election.
Mayor Pro Tem Raul Garcia and Councilmember Gagandeep Kang’s elected seats will each be on the ballot alongside the mayor’s in November. Moran’s position won’t be up for another two years, meaning that if his mayoral campaign fails, he’ll be able to retain his City Council office.
Moran told the Sun-Star that he was encouraged to run for mayor in 2020 but didn’t take the suggestions seriously. His time at the dais during a contentious year that changed his mind.
In addition to the staffing turnovers, Livingston is also dealing with an ongoing voting fraud investigation by the Merced County District Attorney’s Office and California Secretary of State.
Agencies haven’t named suspects, but Moran took to YouTube last year to shed light on the alleged illegal voting scheme and other corrupt behavior by city officials he claimed to have knowledge of.
While the divisive events in 2021 certainly led to his decision to run, Moran said he doesn’t intend to resort to “mud slinging” during his campaign. “I believe I don’t need to,” he said, adding that his campaign will be more forward-looking rather than dwelling on controversies that have been debated already.
The council member has received an “amazing” response since announcing his candidacy, he said.
Moran’s platform will look much like it during his City Council campaign, when he advocated for community safety, clean parks, recreation programs and affordable housing. Moran and his wife’s roles as educators put education at the forefront of his priorities, too.
If elected as mayor, Moran said he’d also seek to boost economic development and jobs, as well as keep water, sewer and garbage prices reasonable.
At the forefront of Moran’s campaign though is restoring government transparency to rebuild trust that he says City Hall has lost.
“The legacy that I would want to leave behind will be honesty, integrity and anti-corruption,” Moran said.
