There is a school of thought that Gary Singh — as mayor — is too accessible, too visible, too transparent, and too big of a booster of all things Manteca.

They apparently want an elected city leadership that is less involved in policy, does less explaining how things work, spends less time promoting the city, and is less available to constituents.

In short, they want everything beyond perfunctory duties and any involvement in city matters outside of council meetings left to the “professionals.”

That might be a legitimate concern if it weren’t that some of those who think Manteca sees and hears too much of Singh either in person or on social media also didn’t believe all bureaucrats are either incompetent, lazy, or disconnected with the community.

It clearly isn’t the case but judging by the overall tenor of how some posts about Singh and the city overall you might be led to believe there isn’t much they like about Manteca.

It is why a fair assumption the handwringing over Singh devoting too much time and energy to being mayor is simply an extension of the fact they don’t like Singh.

It’s a free country.

You don’t have to like anyone

That said, it would be nice to be a little consistent with one’s criticism.

If you consistently expressed displeasure with the level of municipal services and amenities over the years then why slam Singh non-stop given he is the driving force behind changing the equation?

Besides the possibility some either dislike everything and the fact a relatively few that have diarrhea of the keyboards engage in not-too-subtle racial and cultural innuendoes, there is likely one simple “sin” driving the constant urge to take non-stop potshots at Singh’s character and slamming his seemingly unbridled enthusiasm to pursue ways to improve Manteca.

That “sin”?

It’s the passage of the 20-year three-quarter of a cent Measure Q sales tax.

More precisely, it was Singh’s massive commitment to working for its passage by booking more than a 100 in-person meetings with groups of voters to push for the tax measure.

It clearly eclipsed the efforts of other council members as well as City Manager Toni Lungren who was careful to stay within the “educational” role city officials are limited to when it comes to municipal ballot measures.

Without that tax, Manteca Police would still be crossing their fingers patrol units start at the beginning of their shift and firefighters would have to worry about their fire engines dying in route to a medical emergency.

There would be less street work done and Manteca won’t have a new police station by 2029, almost three decades after a previous council determined the current one to be inefficiently secured and woefully undersized.

They don’t like taxes. I get it.

But things cost money. Cars and equipment wear out. Buildings need maintenance. Streets, water lines, and sewer lines age and fail.

The cry, of course, is to find other sources of money or cutback services without reducing services.

Then when Singh on his own set in motion the successful securing of a $16 million state grant to cover the cost of putting in place a homeless navigation center and help pick up the tab for $1.1 million municipal annual outlays to deal with homelessness, he’s slammed.

Singh was able to secure that grant and federal dollars that wouldn’t have come Manteca’s way because he channels the Energizer Bunny when it comes to serving as mayor.

Singh — by all measures of communication — has redefined transparency confirmed by the simple fact his detractors are irked he’s all over social media communicating what the city is doing and isn’t just mayor for three hours twice a month.

The success of Manteca and the greater region the city is part of in securing a lot of funds, especially for road projects, flood protection, ACE rail service and such is because Singh and the four council members represent the city’s interests on other boards for easily a hundred combined hours every month.

Manteca is on the cusp of 100,000 residents.

There are major challenges that come when you cross that threshold.

One of them is to make sure people stay connected with city government. Singh should be lauded and not cast as a villain for his communication on various municipal social platforms and the engaging in a non-stoic manner that he does.

It also doesn’t tie up department heads earning $140,000 to $220,000 a year for hours each week making videos.

Manteca residents don’t elect a city manager or department heads. They elect the mayor and council members.

It’s laughable that some of Singh’s detractors say he is making himself a bigger target by essentially putting himself out there.

Any one that has ever been an elected official knows you are a mega-magnet for criticism within seconds of taking the oath of office.