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Sunday, Oct. 04, 2009

Two vie to bring voice to Modesto's District 2

One points to 22 years of insight on area; other says new ideas, energy are key

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If district elections are meant to give a voice to the voiceless, it's District 2 that some say most needs that voice. Residents from the area led the fight for district elections, arguing that Latinos are underrepresented on the City Council.

Now that fight is over, and some say they're disappointed that only two candidates are running — and that only one contender is Latino.

The race to represent south and west Modesto pits federal security police officer Dave Geer, 67, against Navy veteran Al Nava, 35.

Geer said his 22 years of living in the neighborhood give him insight into the area's needs.

Nava said he'll bring fresh ideas and energy to City Hall. He moved to District 2 in May after finishing his Navy service in Pearl Harbor. He was born in Texas and grew up in Ceres.

He said his top priority is improv- ing infrastructure, especially along Crows Landing and Paradise roads. Nava said improving those areas is key to attracting jobs. At a recent candidate forum, Nava said he wants to bring green technology jobs to Modesto. "I'm not talking about McDonald's jobs," he said. Nava also lists gangs and abandoned homes as concerns.

Among his supporters is Nancy Formella, a retired teacher who met Nava when the two volunteered on President Barack Obama's campaign.

Formella doesn't live in District 2, but she's been knocking on doors for Nava. She said she likes Nava's ideas about gang intervention and job creation. Formella also said she believes Nava would connect well with constituents.

"He has the kind of personality that attracts people's attention," she said. "He's affable, he's gregarious, he likes people."

Maggie Mejia of the Latino Community Roundtable agrees that Nava has youthful energy. But she said she's supporting Geer. Both candidates are members of the Latino Community Roundtable; Nava sits on the board of directors. The group's members will vote soon on an endorsement.

Mejia had hoped to run in the District 2 council race. But she had to move out of the district after the house she was renting went into foreclosure.

"They're both qualified, but with his experience and the length of time he's lived in west Modesto, Mr. Geer would be a louder voice," Mejia said. "I've known Mr. Geer for many years and I've seen what he can do in the community."

Geer served four years on the city's Community Qualities Forum, which makes recommendations about quality of life issues such as animal control and street lights. He was a member of the Stanislaus County civil grand jury in 2005, and serves on the Yosemite Community College District Measure E Bond Oversight Committee. Geer served 18 years in the Army before going to work as a security officer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Geer said District 2 has been neglected "on many levels" for years. His top prior- ity is public safety. He wants to reopen the closed police substation on Paradise Road and supports the injunction that limits gang-related behavior in one District 2 neighborhood. But he noted he'd like to see more gang prevention programs, not just suppression efforts.

Geer said he wants to speak for the district at City Hall — and back up those words with dollars. Geer has said that if he wins he'll try to get one-sixth of the city's budget devoted exclusively to District 2.

Some people opposed district elections because they worried that council members would battle each other over slices of the city budget pie. Geer said he's talked about steering more money to District 2 because that's what voters expect.