Editor, Manteca Bulletin:

A quote from Abraham Lincoln:  “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  Well it looks like it has perished from Manteca.  Just substitute “City Council” for the word “people”.

 Obviously the City Council’s loyalties do not lie with the people, and voters, of their city but with the developers.  In other words it is business as usual and nothing has changed since the new Mayor and council members have taken office. What about affordable housing for the people who already live her?  Too bad about them, let’s build big houses worth more so we can get the Bay Area commuters who’ll pay more.  More is better, more is good.  Let’s spend millions of dollars to build a levee to protect those new homes and if some people on the other side of the levee would be flooded out — what does it matter, they can’t vote anyway.  (Yes, you heard me right.  Many people that have Manteca addresses and have decisions made for them by the city are not allowed to vote.)  We need the revenue from the developers and property taxes to pay for more services; that amount is dwindling since the Council keeps giving in to their demands to drop or lessen certain fees.  It is like they have lost all sense of logic.  If we don’t build more homes then we don’t need to keep adding more fire, police, etc. or build levees.  Oh yes, and let’s ignore the drought, we have plenty of water for everyone.  NOT!  We are the City Council we know what is best for you!

To those of you who have never been to a City Council meeting, I suggest you go.  It is quite enlightening.  Councilwoman Debby Moorhead is constantly looking bored or down at her cell phone.  In fact one time at the beginning of a meeting it went off and she apologized and said she would “turn it down” not turn it off, mind you, but “down”.  When it is time for citizens to get up and speak you cannot ask questions and it doesn’t matter what you say because they have already made up their minds.  When the Council finally votes on the issues on the agenda they all vote the same, “Yes”.

 Fellow Mantecans, when it is time to vote again please remember all that the Council members have done and not just what they promise to do, because they are empty promises.

Perhaps we should no longer be billing ourselves as “The Family City” but the “Five Amigos City”, better known as the “Good Ol’ Boys and Girl Club”.

 

Sandra Ahrens

 Manteca