Richard Silverman is seeking one of two Manteca City Council seats up for grabs in November 2014.

“Manteca has been able to weather the financial downturn better than any city in our county,” Silverman said in a release Tuesday. “I want to work with the current Council to continue the progress our community has made.  My experience in finance will bring greater fiscal accountability, transparency and accountability to City Hall, and I look forward to playing a large part in Manteca’s exciting future.”

The two seats available in November are currently held by John Harris and Vince Hernandez. Harris is not running for re-election while Vince Hernandez has yet to formally say what his intentions are.

Mayor Willie Weatherford’s term is up in November as well. Weatherford has indicated he is not seeking re-election. Councilman Steve DeBrum has already announced plans to seek the mayor’s job. Retired city planner Ben Cantu, while not formally making an announcement, indicated in a letter to the Bulletin that he intends to run for mayor as well.

Silverman has already secured Weatherford’s endorsement as well as that of San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors Chairman Ken Vogel.

Silverman indicated his top priorities are greater job creation, additional police and fire services, and the need for fiscal oversight of municipal spending.

The retired IT manager currently serves as a member of Manteca’s Rapid Response Team, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and the Fire Department’s Seniors Assisting Fire Efforts (SAFE).  He also serves as a Commissioner on Manteca’s Public Safety Sales Tax Oversight Commission and as a Commissioner on the San Joaquin County Civil Service Commission and the Commission on Aging.  The Navy veteran is also a retired reserve police officer with the Concord Police Department.

Silverman , 68, grew up in Southern California.  After high school, he earned his Associated Arts Degree in Administration of Justice from Los Angeles City College.  He then went on to graduate cum laude in Management, receiving his Bachelor of Arts from St. Mary’s College.

Silverman worked for Pacific Bell / AT&T and served in a number of capacities in the Revenue Accounting Department serving as a billing system manager, an internal financial consultant, a systems analyst and as a programmer.  After leaving AT&T, he worked as a senior financial management consultant for Fujitsu Consulting.

In 1993, Silverman earned his license as a Certified Tax Preparer from the California Tax Education Council and worked as tax preparer for over 10 years.  He later joined Jackson Hewitt Tax Services where he has worked as a senior preparer for the past 9 years.

While in the Navy, he served as an Aviation Electricians Mate, and later as a Data Processing Tech for a Naval Air Intelligence unit and was honorably discharged, remaining active as a member of the American Legion and Fleet Reserve Association.

Silverman and his wife Linda have been married for over 34 years.  They have 3 children: Denise, Matthew and Debbie and have 3 grandchildren.