Supervisor is a tough job, not one you can do from a rocking chair

Damrell won’t just wait to retire

Having spent 8 years as a Modesto City Councilman and 32 years as a County Supervisor in District 4, the current district being contested by two good men. I have decided, on the basis of my service, I will endorse Frank Damrell. My reasoning rests in the fact this service is not one that you can lean back in your chair and wait for retirement. It’s going to take a great deal of energy and personal awareness of the people who live in this District.

I have known the Damrell family for at least 65 years and have respected he and his whole family’s dedication to the various projects and events in our community

Berryhill abstained; so should we

We have a very important race for Modestans. We are at a crossroads. I don’t think I have spoken with one person satisfied with the direction we are taking and we cannot afford more of the same on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors.

In District 4, Tom Berryhill is a sharp contrast to the work ethic of Frank Damrell. Sen. Berryhill showed up to work only 40 percent of the time in this last session, missing 1,790 votes crucial to his constituents and the state of California. Berryhill abstained on a vote to end the negative bailout, which cost the county millions of dollars every year. On issues critical to Stanislaus County regarding the state water grab and cap and trade, where was he?

Berryhill disrespects voters by failing to show up to any debates, while Damrell is tirelessly walking door to door, in the 4th of July parade and attending all Stanislaus meetings and debate opportunities. Want change? Vote Frank Damrell in District 4

This choice is clear: Terry Withrow

Choice: The act of choosing. Voters in Stanislaus County District 3 (Modesto, Salida, Wood Colony) have an important choice on Nov. 6. Terry Withrow, incumbent supervisor in District 3, or Tony Madrigal, Modesto City Councilman.

Madrigal’s accomplishments? He is a Democrat and career politician. Madrigal has made promises to Salida residents he will never be able to keep. First, opening the Salida Sheriff sub-Station. Second, restoring Salida’s community deputy program. Third, staffing two fire stations in Salida. Sheriff-Elect Jeff Dirkse is the only person with the authority to decide when to re-open the sub-Station and restore the community deputy program. The Salida Fire Protection District Board of Director’s will decide fire station staffing, not a county supervisor.

Withrow has worked passionately to solve our county’s homeless crisis. He stood up to Modesto, stopping them from annexing Salida and invading Wood Colony’s productive farmland. Withrow has been an important part of restoring a strong budget. A strong budget means more money to fund additional law enforcement on the streets which means safer neighborhoods. Terry Withrow is a proven leader and the only real choice for District 3 Supervisor.

Turlock needs competent mayor

Re “Vote for Soiseth based on character” (Letters, Sept. 14): The final sentence of the letter intrigued me. Though he didn’t discuss any issues, I agree that decisions matter and reflect our mayor’s character. Mayor Gary Soiseth’s decisions on the following issues were wrong:

▪ Replacing the all-volunteer Turlock Certified Farmers Market with a for-profit market operated by the son-in-law of a major campaign donor (Councilperson Amy Bublak voted with Soiseth).

▪ Not supporting TIN CUP (Time Is Now, Clean Up Politics) campaign finance rules (Bublak voted with Soiseth). The pledge they co-authored guaranteed absolutely nothing. (Bublak voted with Soiseth).

▪ Bypassing standard procedures for selecting city manager, resulting in the resignation of the city attorney and costing the city outside attorney fees.

Turlock desperately needs competent leadership. Electing former mayor Brad Bates will bring back transparency, integrity and fiscal responsibility.

It wasn’t the time or place for politics

It was so disappointing to see Rep. Jeff Denham and Turlock Mayor Gary Soiseth turn the dedication of Turlock’s transit center in Roger K. Fall’s name into an opportunity to promote themselves. The event was about the late Roger Fall and his selfless dedication to the city of Turlock and his working to make the transit center a reality. Denham used it to promote what he said he has done for the city, discussing topics that had nothing to do with Roger Fall. Soiseth was right there backing up Rep. Denham.

This was shameful and embarrassing to many in the audience and an insult to Roger Fall’s family who had come from Idaho for the event. Just because you are elected officials doesn’t mean it’s always about you.

People talk about the importance of character in our elected officials. It was not on display. Both men could have learned a lot from the selflessness and humility of the late Roger Fall.

Denham doesn’t care about Valley

I just saw an email from Jeff Denham’s campaign that warns about Obama and Newsom supporting Josh Harder. He asks, “Does he even remember the Obama economy? Well, I do. Shortly after Obama came into office the economy started growing and is currently in one of the longest periods of growth in US history.”

Obama put in place rules that would make it harder for what caused the recession to happen again. Denham voted to remove those very rules and leave the people he serves open to the same practices that brought on the Great Recession. That’s the difference between Harder and Denham. Josh really cares about the Valley.

We need a check on this president

We have no checks or balances on the executive branch of our government since the same party controls Congress and the courts. In order for our president to be held accountable, we need to have representation from both parties. This means we need to have Republicans share some of their power in Washington. The way to help make this happen is to vote for Josh Harder on Nov. 6. Restore the balance of power in Washington by giving both parties a voice in Congress.