Dear Editor:

Mayor Bublak’s silence on the recent revelation concerning hateful and racially disparaging social media posts on candidate Ted Howze’s social media accounts is deafening.  The posts also contained very serious religious bigotry.  As easily as her endorsement of Howze can be given, it can be removed.  Her continued support of Howze can easily suggest acceptance of these offensive views if not complicity with them.  Turlock is a diverse place and all of its people deserve respect and dignity from their mayor.  We don’t need another Steve King U.S. Representative from Iowa representing us here in the Central Valley or anywhere in the U.S. Congress for that matter.

I’m sorry, Howze’s explanation just doesn’t hold water.  Amongst his personal family posts are these bigoted remarks made by someone else and Mr. Howze doesn’t address them?  He accepts this on his social media accounts for people to see and takes no action to remove them until he becomes a candidate for congress?  We need leadership that is honest and forthcoming. 

This is not the first time Howze’s character has been called into question. There was his claim that Representative Harder was not responsive to the needs of an elderly veteran:  a totally bogus claim.  There was his assertion just after the 2018 election where he accused Harder’s people of committing election fraud promising that it would be proven.  Well the evidence never came because it never happened.  Character is truly on the ballot this November.   Mayor Bublak will demonstrate hers one way or another.

— Steve Pierce, Turlock