Dear editor,

For three years, Amy Bublak and Gary Soiseth had almost identical voting records while serving on the Turlock City Council. In January 2016, Bublak was appointed as a Director to the SRWA (Stanislaus Regional Water Authority) Board.  During her 18-month tenure on the SRWA Board, she voted with Soiseth 100 percent of the time.

The two now have parted ways. Bublak has hung her hat on Turlock’s regional water project, assuring voters she will stop the project. Factually, this is more than a project; it is a process that has been developing over twenty years. Along the way, a number of studies have been commissioned to determine the best answer to provide a reliable supply of high-quality water at a reasonable cost to the residents of Turlock – each of these studies have included a surface water treatment component.

Brad Bates sees the public being rushed to a go or no-go decision, with hard positions from the two opposing campaigns (Soiseth and Bublak). He wants to bring forward a process that provides solutions. City Manager Bob Lawton has answered questions dealing with the regional surface water supply project – costs, comparisons, where we are with the project – is it a done deal?

The public needs to take the time to get the right answers.

Brad Bates will work to bring Turlock residents a reliable supply of water and ensure that the construction and operational costs do not exceed projections in order to maintain the most cost-effective rates. He recognizes the dire situation for Turlock’s residents. There is no nearby river from which to draw water; the city is completely dependent on wells. Brad Bates will listen, learn and work to find real solutions.

I’m weary of four years of controversy and questionable decisions by Mayor Soiseth and Council member Bublak. I’m voting for leadership, integrity and a return to a city manager/city council form of governance. I’m voting for Brad Bates, the change that Turlock needs.

— Jeani Ferrari