Lei Ann Larson — a candidate for Manteca City Council District 3 — is now taking her complaint about being allegedly treated unfair when she wasn’t allowed to read from a prepared statement at the opening of a forum staged by a youth service club — to the city’s three high schools.

District officials confirm the 12-page letters were sent to the principals at Manteca, Sierra, and East Union high schools regarding the forum hosted Sunday by Manteca Interact at the Moffat Community Center/VFW Hall.

It is a follow up a 3,100 word email complaining to the governor of Rotary District 5220 about the fairness of the forum. The governor oversees 40 plus Rotary clubs that includes the Manteca Rotary Club that sponsored the Manteca Interact Club.

Manteca Unified Assistant Superintendent Victora Brunn said any response to Larson’s inquiry will come from the district level and not high school principals.

None of the other candidates that appeared at the forum — District 4 incumbent Mike Morowit plus his challengers Rogger Guiterrez, Mayor Gary Singh and challenger Jacob Naven of District 3 incumbent Dave Brietenucher — have expressed displeasure, public or otherwise, about how the forum was conducted.

Several, though, suggested shortening the format by printing and distributing candidate backgrounds instead of reading them.

“It’s ridiculous,” Morowit said of Larson basically demanding extensive “official inquiries” into how the forum rules were fashioned.

“We just need to leave the kids alone,” Naven said of the flurry of inquiries Larson is sending regarding the youth group.

Naven said, if anything, the teens should be praised for their efforts and encouraged io do become more interested in local government.

“You don’t have to scold them,” Naven said if you, as an adult, have an issue.

And a candidate felt they had to make a point about the forum per se, they should have talked to the youth privately instead of demanding investigations.

“It’s unfortunate someone is trying to create negatively out of the forum,” Singh said, adding he thought it was one of the best conducted in recent years.

“It is great to see youth get involved in city government,” the mayor said.

“Hopefully, we can come to our senses,” Singh said.

Larson also has questioned whether the 17 year-old organizer of the event — Nihar Jain — was a legitimate member of the Manteca Interact club he helped found and apparently wants the District Rotary organization to answer her inquiry and presumably take additional steps.

Her letters to the high schools are more of the same implying that the youth group was unfair in terms of how the rules of the forum treated her and by extension whether there should be additional action taken.

Larson argues an exception to the ban on having prewritten materials during the forum should be made for her given she had crashed several days prior while riding an e-scooter without a helmet.

She has stated that she suffered a concussion and sustained injuries to her face and rotator

Larson also infers Jain has a conflict because he posted on Facebook several months prior that he was thankful to have Singh as a role model and a mentor.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com