Manteca’s firefighters have endorsed Mayor Steve DeBrum, Councilman Mike Morowit as well as council hopefuls Jose Nuno and Dave Breitenbucher in the Nov. 6 election.
Manteca Firefighters Local 1874 that represents the department’s rank and file contend the four have the best command of community issues as well as how to address the safety needs of Manteca residents.
The filing period opens today for candidates. Besides the mayor’s post, there are two council seats up for grabs. By endorsing three and not two for the available council seats the firefighters are expressing their position that the election of any combination of Morowit, Nuno, or Breitenbucher would bode well for the community from their perspective.
The firefighters did not endorse either Christopher Silva or Steve Williams for council or Ben Cantu for mayor. All three have formed committees required to solicit campaign contributions.
“Manteca firefighters have had a long and productive working relationship with Mayor DeBrum and Councilmember Morowit and we appreciate their dedication and hard work in providing us the resources to keep our community safe,” Local 1874 President Sterrie McLeod said. “We also believe that council candidates Nuno and Breitenbucher both understand the challenges that our fire department will face as our community continues to grow.”
The firefighters have endorsed DeBrum in every one of his successful local elections for the past 15 years. They also endorsed Morowit four years ago.
Candidates have until Aug. 10 to collect enough valid signatures of city voters to qualify for the Nov. 6 ballot. Since Councilman Richard Silverman is not seeking re-election, state law will extend the filing period for City Council an additional five days to Aug. 15.
The Manteca City Clerk’s office has information on what is required to file as a candidate.
Also on the municipal ballot is a measure to increase the current hotel room tax from 9 percent to 12 percent that is paid by visitors to Manteca to help fund day-to-day services such as police and fire protection as well as streets and parks.
As of mid-June there were 37,246 registered voters in Manteca who would be able to cast ballots in the Nov. 6 election
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
