Election 2020: Merced Sun-Star’s recommendations for mayor, city council
Merced voters have a big task this election season as they must choose a new mayor and three City Council members.
The mayoral choice is particularly important, given that the winner will replace outgoing Mayor Mike Murphy. He has tirelessly represented the city as a visionary and cheerleader. Murphy has to leave the council due to term limits — he will have served the allowable two consecutive two-year terms. Starting Jan. 1, mayors will get four-year terms.
How the city of about 90,000 can continue to take advantage of UC Merced, the state’s newest university, is a key issue. Others are developing the economy, improving neighborhoods south of Highway 99, dealing with homelessness and finding a new police chief.
The Sun-Star’s Editorial Board interviewed the hopefuls and offers these recommendations.
Four seek to be mayor
Competing for mayor are two current council members — Anthony Levi Martinez, who represents the southeast part of town, and Matthew Serratto, whose district covers the northwest section. Both were elected to the council in 2016.
Joining them in the race are former council member Mike Belluomini and Monica Kay Villa, a homeless advocate and previous candidate.
Serratto, a deputy district attorney for Merced County, has had an impressive first term on the council and is the best choice to follow Murphy as mayor.
As a council member, he was on the subcommittee to revitalize downtown and helped develop an ordinance to keep more tax revenues in town. Serratto was part of creating the city’s ethics policy to promote good government. And he has led revitalization efforts for the low-income Loughborough neighborhood in his district.
As a professional lawyer, Serratto knows how to state a position with conviction but also listen and work toward consensus — skills that are badly needed in today’s overheated political environment.
Serratto has been on the board of the countywide continuum of care, the collection of groups addressing homelessness, and he promises to support creating more beds for those living on the streets.
He also backs seeking out industrial firms to locate in the city and bring new jobs, and wants to make sure the city does not micromanage businesses with regulations.
“We could do better as a gateway to Yosemite,” he added in a session with the Sun-Star Editorial Board.
Three council seats
District 1: Three men are vying to replace Martinez: Retired teachers Louis Smith and Joel Knox and program manager Jesse Ornelas. Of the three, Knox is the best choice. A Merced native, he helped start the Golden Valley Neighborhood Association nearly 20 years ago, and has been an active advocate for the southside area.
District 3: Allen Brooks, a real estate agent and head of the Merced chapter of the NAACP, and Bertha Perez, a labor organizer. Brooks has strong credentials as a candidate due to his local leadership position in one of the nation’s oldest civil rights organizations, combined with his business acumen. The Sun-Star recommends him to represent the central part of the city.
District 5: Two strong candidates are seeking the chance to represent Serratto’s district: Sarah Boyle and Jeremy Martinez. Martinez has broader experience and would be the better pick. He has been on the city’s Planning Commission; is the CEO of the United Way; of Merced County, and has held leadership positions with several private companies, including a farm equipment manufacturer and now a Merced cannabis dispensary.
How the Sun-Star reached its recommendations
Editor Joe Kieta and Opinion Editor Tad Weber conducted online interviews with the candidates except for Louis Smith and Monica Kay Villa, who could not be reached. Additional online research was also conducted. Recommendations are meant to be a helpful guide for voters. The Sun-Star newsroom had no role in this process.
This story was originally published October 18, 2020 at 5:00 AM.