The first forum featuring all six Manteca City Council candidates is set for Tuesday, Sept. 20, at Emory from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The Manteca Chamber of Commerce sponsored event at the banquet facility next to Hafer’s Furniture in the Lincoln Center on West Yosemite Avenue will also feature candidates for the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors and State Assembly.
The forum is open to the general public. The $10 ticket includes lunch. Seating is limited with advance sale tickets only. They can be obtained at the Manteca chamber office next door to Oak Valley Community Bank on the northwest corner of North Street and North Main Street or by calling the chamber at 823-6121.
Manteca will elect two council members on Nov. 8.
The candidates are:
uDebby Moorhead, who served as Manteca Chamber of Commerce executive director before changing careers, is the only incumbent on the ballot. Moorhead is the fifth woman ever to serve on the council.
uDavid Cushman who at age 23 is the youngest person to run for the City Council in at least 40 years and works currently in the fast food industry. He is president of the Manteca Tea Party.
uEric Hayes is a current Manteca Planning Commission member and a businessman.
uGary Singh is a real estate agent and businessman. He also serves on the Manteca Planning Commission. Singh is also the first Sierra High graduate ever to run for council.
uBen Cantu has his own planning firm that he started after spending over 28 years as a city planner before retiring. This will be his fifth try for either a council seat or the mayor’s post.
uJeff Zellner is a financial planner. He is president of the HOPE Family Shelters board and serves on the Manteca Planning Commission. Zellner is also a past president of the Manteca Chamber of Commerce.
The two supervisor candidates are Moses Zapian and Tom Patti.
They are in a run-off to represent Manteca north of Yosemite Avenue, all of Lathrop, northwest Stockton and the Delta portion of San Joaquin County.
Zapian is the appointed incumbent. Patti is a Stockton businessman who owns a crane company.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com