Editor, Manteca Bulletin,

Mr. Ben Cantu, a candidate for our City Mayoral position, has finally described one of his many plans for the City. He has been touting his plan for this and his plan for that but has never actually given the public any detail on these plans until his answer to the question in the Oct. 22 Manteca Bulletin in response to the Bulletin question regarding investing in downtown. 

The funny thing is though; I really expected his plan to be different than the direction the City is already going in led by Mayor Steve DeBrum.  When you boil down all the candidates’ responses to that question, Cantu’s plan was so similar to that of our current Mayor and Councilman that one might think it was a copy, just worded differently.  The problem with that though is his plan was so ridiculously incomplete, lacking many of the necessary components included in the other candidate’s statements.

I have a couple questions for you Mr. Cantu:  first, do you have any experience in consensus building?  Your actions to date make it seem like you are a one man show and that you think by becoming Mayor you can direct the other four Council Members to do as you say as opposed to consensus building and compromise with them.  If anything is ever going to be accomplished downtown, we need a true consensus builder.  Secondly, have you ever been a leader or even a manager of anything more than a one man shop?  

A true leader works his/her way up through the ranks, becomes familiar with the people, the job, the finances, and many other aspects of what the leader is expected to know and be skilled at.  It’s not something that can be learned on the job except to the severe detriment of the City.  To be a leader you have to come in already with these skills under your belt.  Given that to date you have shown neither the ability to build a consensus nor to lead the City, I strongly suggest you step aside as Manteca does not need you muddying the waters of this election.

One final comment Mr. Cantu, you have totally lost my respect with the mudslinging you have done in the Bulletin to date against other candidates and their past actions on the City Council.  None of them have done anything similar towards you even though they have every right to respond in kind to your attacks.  This is not the kind of inexperienced, self-serving person that we want to lead Manteca into the future.

Bill Barnhart

Manteca