Jacob Naven has secured the endorsement of Willie Weatherford in his bid to become Manteca’s next mayor.

Weatherford was Manteca’s longest serving mayor when he stepped down in 2014 after 12 years in that position.

He served on the City Council six years prior following his retirement as Manteca’s police chief.

“To have the endorsement of someone of Mayor Weatherford’s standing is humbling and deeply meaningful,” said Naven. “His decades of service, both as mayor and police chief, bring unmatched insight into what a city like ours needs. I am honored to carry forward his legacy of public safety, integrity, and community first leadership.”

Naven is a longtime Manteca resident and businessman.

Incumbent Gary Singh has yet to formally announce as Naven has for the 2028 election. Singh, however, has filed the required papers to solicit campaign donations.

Also on the 2028 ballot are two council seats, Districts 3 and 4.

Dave Breitenbucher is the District 1 incumbent that generally covers central Manteca that reflects the city’s pre-1970 boundaries.

Mike Morowit generally represents north Manteca that includes Del Webb as the District 4 incumbent.

Dolphins making a

big splash for youth

Manteca Dolphins — one of Manteca’s oldest youth sports organization — is surging ahead in the pool.

The recreational swimming team founded in 1979 reached 250 members this past season, up from 180 previously.

Manteca Dolphins President Mark Bossen shared the organization’s story Thursday at the Manteca Rotary Club as well as to thank the service group for its donations to help acquire a new timing system for swim meet.

Bosson emphasized the bottom line was providing an outlet for youth to “learn how to swim and be a part of a team.” It also involves organizing fun activities with Bossen adding, “no one throws a pool party like the Dolphins.

The Dolphins partners with Manteca Recreation & Community Services.

That allows the non-profit to access not just the pool at Marion Elliott Park (formerly Lincoln Park) for tryouts but also currently swimming pools at Manteca High and Sierra High for practices and meets thanks to the partnership the city with the Manteca Unified School District for joint use of facilities.

As such, it is able to keep registration fees on the low side for a recreational swim program.

The $295 fee is going up to $305 next year.

It covers coaching, pool, and swim meet operating expenses.

And proportionately, it covers a heck of a lot more time than many recreational programs.

Not only does it include swim meets from May through July, but also practice times for those three months as well as preseason pool work in April.

As such, it reflects four practices a week  and sometimes five.

The Dolphins compete in league meets with six other recreation swim teams from Brentwood to Turlock.

Next August, they are hosting the larger regional championships involving 1,500 swimmers at the Manteca High pool.

The Dolphins are planning a 5K fun run this December that they hope to parlay into an annual fundraiser.

Also sharing the Manteca Dolphins’ story on Thursday was head coach Laura Koury and board member Amanda Stellhorn.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com