I’ve worked closely with both Mayor Soiseth and Councilwoman Bublak over the last four years as an equal vote in the decisions being made. I didn’t know any of my colleagues prior to my election in 2014, and I came in with a fresh set of eyes and zero bias. As I am not seeking reelection—choosing instead to pursue graduate school—I am positioned to be even more candid in sharing my honest opinion on who is best fit to lead Turlock forward. Allow me to tell you why I have chosen to endorse and vote for Gary Soiseth this November and believe you should as well.

First and foremost: Gary cares. With his educational, service, and professional achievements he could get a high paying job anywhere but Gary has chosen to remain local and use his skills for the betterment of our community. His selfless dedication to our city is made that much more evident by his decision to donate the entirety of his Mayoral salary to a scholarship program.

Second: Gary puts in the work. I find myself somewhat dumbfounded that one of his main criticisms is that he “micromanages” at City Hall. Would we rather have a Mayor that’s checked out? Why even have democratically elected oversight? Almost every time I have stopped in at City Hall, Gary is at his desk working through policies, agendas, and reports. I find his work ethic inspiring.

Third: Gary is a straight shooter. Unlike his opponents who promise things they know they can never deliver on like quickly fixing your internet, stopping the inevitable increase in water costs, investing more in our departments without further depleting our reserves, just to name a few; expect that Gary will tell it like it is. Gary and I have had our fair share of policy disagreements over the past four years, but one thing I have always appreciated about him is that what you see is what you get. He would never, for example, vote ‘yes’ for a water infrastructure project every step of the way over a span of multiple years and then, right at the very end, vote against it to be able to justify a campaign mailer claiming opposition. It’s easy to be a ‘no’ vote, but that’s not leadership - it’s cowardly political opportunism, demonstrated by Gary’s opponents.

Finally, what most compels me to write this letter is the libelous tactics his opponents have deployed as of late. Everything from frivolous calls for criminal investigations to false claims that he stands to make “up to a million dollars” from city funds. Turlock, please don’t fall for these lies. Our city has witnessed great progress throughout the last four years, let’s not abandon the investments we’ve made. Gary has proven himself to be a true leader with one of the sharpest public policy acumens Turlock City Hall has ever seen.

For these reasons, and many others, I will go to the ballot box on Nov. 6 confident in my choice for Mayor. I hope you’ll join me in supporting Gary Soiseth for another four years.

— Turlock Vice Mayor Matthew Jacob