Diane Kroeze: Do so few people care about the city in which they live?

Re: “Brandvold rolls to apparent crushing defeat of Marsh in Modesto mayor’s race” (Page 1A, Feb. 2): Mayor Garrad Marsh lost to a man who wanted the position so badly he almost missed the date to register. He had to be persuaded, I guess. It wasn’t supposed to be a Democrat vs. a Republican, but it was. Republican backers put lots of money into getting Ted Brandvold elected. Why? The gentleman likes lots of new housing on agricultural lands.

We will pay for our inertia with lots of jobs that pay minimum wages, or less if you aren’t legal. Maybe he will change the color of his spots, but it is doubtful.

Congratulations to all who voted. Out of approximately 91,300 registered voters, only 26,478 voted. Some say “not bad” for just a mayor’s race. I think it’s terrible we care so little about where we live that we can’t be bothered to check a box and mail the envelope. You did not even have to pay for a stamp. Around 10,000 people signed a petition to get a measure on the ballot (in November) to stop unregulated growth. It failed because of not enough votes. Where were you then?

This story was originally published February 8, 2016 at 1:38 PM with the headline "Diane Kroeze: Do so few people care about the city in which they live?."