Dear editor:

Mayor Bublak is a skilled politician; she has made a concerted effort to make herself well-known in the community. Which brings me to this – Bublak said she has “gone to every business, every house and every church (in Turlock) in the last four years… Those contacts are what makes this community so special to me, finding out what people want and need.” 

Turlock citizens have been pounding on the door at City Hall, begging for help with roads for four years and beyond. Did Bublak not hear that when talking with people in every church in Turlock? Did she not hear about the need for more police and firefighters when knocking on 4,000 doors? 

It was Turlock’s citizens who put Measure A on the ballot and Turlock’s voters who passed Measure A, with no support from Mayor Bublak. The funds from the measure are being used to hire police and firefighters. “We have been able to begin refilling our ranks with the needed police and firefighters… It is no secret that I didn’t support this new tax… but the reality is, these new taxes are allowing us to increase funding for ‘boots on the ground’ whether they be law enforcers or firefighters,” Bublak stated, recently. 

Nor would Bublak support Measure L, a countywide road repair measure. Bublak was the only elected leader in the county who didn’t support the road tax measure. A citizen’s survey, initiated by the county, indicated citizens were ready to support a road repair tax. Bublak stood firm in her opposition; the measure passed with 73% Turlock voter approval.

For Turlock, Measure L will provide a lifetime total of $138 million dollars. A significant reason for the passage of the road repair tax was that it would designate Stanislaus County as a “self-help” county. This designation would allow the county to access state-level transportation dollars and nearly double Turlock’s available funds to nearly $275 million dollars. Still, Bublak would not support the countywide road tax measure. Now, she boasts of fixing Turlock’s roads, balancing the city’s budget, putting more police on the ground and adding firefighters and new equipment to our fire services. This was all done with the passage of two tax measures that she opposed.

Mayor Bublak has had one enduring political platform, to not support any new tax measures; for that, she can claim success. With regard to listening to her constituent’s needs and providing leadership, our mayor has failed. 

In four years as mayor, Bublak has relied upon Turlock's citizens and county leaders to make the toughest decisions and move the city forward with more police, firefighters and an essential drinking water project. Funds from Measures L and A have put Turlock’s budget in the black and provided funds for road repair. Turlock needs a mayor who will listen to, and act upon, the needs of its citizens; we need a leader who has integrity and commonsense. Please join me in voting for the change that Turlock needs, Gil Esquer for Mayor.

— Jeani Ferrari