Ryan Schambers: Southwest Modesto needs its own representative on school board

Re “South Modesto to get seat on school board after all” (Front page, May 13): I was excited when I first heard that southwest Modesto would get its own area of representation. I have lived in this part of Modesto for a few years and voter turnout is low. It is important to have a candidate who will get citizens in this area more involved in the political process and be proud of where they are living.

Formerly, only part of this region was represented by Modesto City Council District 2. Citizens living in unincorporated regions of Modesto cannot run for city council, but they can run for the Modesto City Schools board.

I agree with breaking the city schools board into seven districts, as the board likely would have been sued sooner or later otherwise. When the race was city-wide it allowed the candidates with the most money to have a significant advantage.

Money is one of the most significant factors in who gets elected and this would make it difficult for someone from the high-poverty, high-minority area of southwest Modesto to compete with a richer candidate who lives elsewhere. It is important to have representatives living in the areas they make decisions for.

This story was originally published August 1, 2017 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Ryan Schambers: Southwest Modesto needs its own representative on school board."