I recently read the Turlock Journal letter, “Campaign Advertisement Should Not Be on the City of Turlock’s Website,” and I believe the concern raised deserves another look.

I find it troubling that Councilmember Cassandra Abram’s profile on the City of Turlock’s taxpayer-funded website reads more like a campaign biography than basic information about a sitting councilmember.

Abram is running for reelection this year. At the same time, the city website highlights her background, accomplishments, priorities and statements about her service to the community.

I’m not suggesting elected officials shouldn’t have information about themselves on the city website. They should. But there needs to be a clear distinction between providing residents with factual information about their representatives and giving an incumbent a taxpayer-funded platform during

an election.

The city website belongs to the residents of Turlock not to any individual councilmember or candidate. If an incumbent can use an official government website to promote their record and priorities while running for reelection, shouldn’t this be stopped?

Turlock deserves transparency and a level playing field.

The candidate for city council Ryan Taylor has ethics and integrity which is why he should be considered for city councilman. He was my boss for three months and I consider him to have the best qualifications for the city council office.

— Steven David Rios Sanabria