Call Ben Cantu the Energizer Bunny of Manteca municipal politics.
The retired senior city planner - who finished second in Tuesday’s four-way race for mayor - said he intends to start campaigning in a year for the 2012 election for the two City Council seats now held by Steve DeBrum and Debby Moorhead.
If Cantu isn’t successful in 2012 he intends to go for the mayor’s post in the 2014 election.
While he wants to get elected, Cantu said if all he does is provide “pressure” on the sitting council to make sure they place more emphasis on providing services and amenities for existing residents and work toward more effective spending of tax dollars he’ll consider his efforts a success.
He also wants to make the city “more transparent.” By that he meant making people well aware of the cumulative impacts of projects. As an example he used the Center Point Business Park project. While staff was answering questions honestly about truck traffic impacts on the development standing by itself, the neighbors ultimately will be slammed by the combined truck trip impact of the Union Pacific Railroad intermodal yard being expanded next door and right outside of the city limits.
He also would like the city to go one step farther in stating the annual cost of adding amenities or other redevelopment agency improvements such as they do now when the council is considering approving a general fund. As an example, the landscaping at the Yosemite Avenue and Highway 99 interchange when it is completed and turned over to Manteca will cost the general fund $48,000 a year to maintain. That figure is clearly marked on the summary of the project report considered by the council for adoption.
Such isn’t the case for redevelopment agency investments, according to Cantu. Any time the RDA invests in infrastructure or improvements that have to be maintained, he wants the city to clearly note the annual costs to maintain such improvements or what it will cost down the road to replace it through regular wear and tear if such an analysis applies.
Cantu said he didn’t make his points clear enough in terms of some of his campaign issues. Once such area is parks. He acknowledged the city has a higher than typical park ratio to citizens with about 50 in place. His concern is about the cultural and social services that aren’t being provided at the parks such as neighborhood park playground programs to keep kids out of trouble.
“More established residents or older residents who may live in Del Webb don’t need such amenities and services,” Cantu. “Those who are raising families do.”
Park playgrounds underscore his continued concern about how the city is spending money and preparing for long range costs. So far more than $1 million has been spent replacing aging and unsafe playground equipment at parks throughout the city. Except for some growth-related funds, a large chunk of the money came from federal and state sources. Cantu said the city must make sure they have the resources to adequately maintain what they add.
Cantu also is striving to make sure it is the council that runs the city and not the city manager. He alluded back to the days of City Manager Richard Jones when Cantu said Jones would delineate a policy and the council would then consider whether to adopt it. He noted that changed under City Manager David Jinkens. Still, he doesn’t believe the city council is taking a strong enough hand in making sure their policy decisions and directives are followed. He pointed to a number of projects that were stalled in the bureaucratic process after clear direction was given by the council. One example was the Industrial Park Drive extension that took seven years. At the end there was property acquisition issue but most of the delays were attributed to internal factors at City Hall.
“Eight years should be enough time to get something done,” Cantu said.
Cantu said assuring that council members aren’t serving for 12, 16 or 20 years would mean there is always a fresh look being taken at city needs and the budget.
Cantu said philosophically there wasn’t much difference on some issues between him and Carlon Perry - who came in third - on some issues nor between him and Mayor Willie Weatherford on other issues.
He said the big difference is how he wants to get to the final objective of providing the best for Manteca residents.
Cantu would be seeking one of the two council seats now occupied by Steve DeBrum and Debby Moorhead.
Moorhead on Tuesday finished fourth with 2,003 votes behind Perry with 2,332 votes. Weatherford pulled 5,152 votes compared to Cantu with 2,582 votes.
Two years ago Cantu finished behind DeBrum and Moorhead.
The retired senior city planner - who finished second in Tuesday’s four-way race for mayor - said he intends to start campaigning in a year for the 2012 election for the two City Council seats now held by Steve DeBrum and Debby Moorhead.
If Cantu isn’t successful in 2012 he intends to go for the mayor’s post in the 2014 election.
While he wants to get elected, Cantu said if all he does is provide “pressure” on the sitting council to make sure they place more emphasis on providing services and amenities for existing residents and work toward more effective spending of tax dollars he’ll consider his efforts a success.
He also wants to make the city “more transparent.” By that he meant making people well aware of the cumulative impacts of projects. As an example he used the Center Point Business Park project. While staff was answering questions honestly about truck traffic impacts on the development standing by itself, the neighbors ultimately will be slammed by the combined truck trip impact of the Union Pacific Railroad intermodal yard being expanded next door and right outside of the city limits.
He also would like the city to go one step farther in stating the annual cost of adding amenities or other redevelopment agency improvements such as they do now when the council is considering approving a general fund. As an example, the landscaping at the Yosemite Avenue and Highway 99 interchange when it is completed and turned over to Manteca will cost the general fund $48,000 a year to maintain. That figure is clearly marked on the summary of the project report considered by the council for adoption.
Such isn’t the case for redevelopment agency investments, according to Cantu. Any time the RDA invests in infrastructure or improvements that have to be maintained, he wants the city to clearly note the annual costs to maintain such improvements or what it will cost down the road to replace it through regular wear and tear if such an analysis applies.
Cantu said he didn’t make his points clear enough in terms of some of his campaign issues. Once such area is parks. He acknowledged the city has a higher than typical park ratio to citizens with about 50 in place. His concern is about the cultural and social services that aren’t being provided at the parks such as neighborhood park playground programs to keep kids out of trouble.
“More established residents or older residents who may live in Del Webb don’t need such amenities and services,” Cantu. “Those who are raising families do.”
Park playgrounds underscore his continued concern about how the city is spending money and preparing for long range costs. So far more than $1 million has been spent replacing aging and unsafe playground equipment at parks throughout the city. Except for some growth-related funds, a large chunk of the money came from federal and state sources. Cantu said the city must make sure they have the resources to adequately maintain what they add.
Cantu also is striving to make sure it is the council that runs the city and not the city manager. He alluded back to the days of City Manager Richard Jones when Cantu said Jones would delineate a policy and the council would then consider whether to adopt it. He noted that changed under City Manager David Jinkens. Still, he doesn’t believe the city council is taking a strong enough hand in making sure their policy decisions and directives are followed. He pointed to a number of projects that were stalled in the bureaucratic process after clear direction was given by the council. One example was the Industrial Park Drive extension that took seven years. At the end there was property acquisition issue but most of the delays were attributed to internal factors at City Hall.
Cantu will push for council term limits
Cantu said when he is elected he will push to limit the terms for mayor and council members to two four-year terms.“Eight years should be enough time to get something done,” Cantu said.
Cantu said assuring that council members aren’t serving for 12, 16 or 20 years would mean there is always a fresh look being taken at city needs and the budget.
Cantu said philosophically there wasn’t much difference on some issues between him and Carlon Perry - who came in third - on some issues nor between him and Mayor Willie Weatherford on other issues.
He said the big difference is how he wants to get to the final objective of providing the best for Manteca residents.
Cantu would be seeking one of the two council seats now occupied by Steve DeBrum and Debby Moorhead.
Moorhead on Tuesday finished fourth with 2,003 votes behind Perry with 2,332 votes. Weatherford pulled 5,152 votes compared to Cantu with 2,582 votes.
Two years ago Cantu finished behind DeBrum and Moorhead.
