Why I Support Juan Gonzalez for Mayor of San Leandro

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I proudly support Juan Gonzalez for Mayor and encourage you to make him your first choice on the November election ballot.

I have known Juan Gonzalez for over two decades, seeing him literally roll up his sleeves to pull weeds and dispose of trash during school district cleanup days to making countless sandwiches for meals distributed to the unsheltered during the pandemic. Juan Gonzalez is a person of integrity. His parents were teachers who instilled in him the values of education, social justice and community service. Juan will do an outstanding job as Mayor. He possesses strong leadership and management skills developed over a successful career in the private sector. Juan thoroughly understands public finance. He served on City and school district budget oversight committees and holds a Ph.D. in economics from MIT. Juan will dedicate himself to our City by retiring from his current job and serve full-time as Mayor. You can learn more about Juan and his positions on the issues at https://juangonzalezformayor.com I recognize other candidates are running. If Juan is not your first choice, please make him your second choice and not solely vote for one candidate. Under our ranked choice voting system, your “second candidate” vote may determine who serves as our next Mayor. Finally, to those supporting Councilmember Bryan Azevedo, please keep in mind that even if he does not prevail, he will continue to serve on the City Council for two more years as the representative for Council District 2. He could then run for re-election as a Council member to serve an additional four years. While the Mayor serves as the spokesperson for the City, when it comes to voting on matters the Mayor and each Councilmember possess equal authority. What many people are unaware of, however, is that should Councilmember Azevedo win the Mayor’s race, we lose our vote in selecting his replacement for the Council District 2 seat. Under the City Charter, new Mayor Azevedo and the five members of the City Council holding office on January 1, 2023, would appoint the new Council member. There will not be an election. Democracy works best when our leaders take office after competitive elections. Talking to voters directly and obtaining their support is critical to having elected officials that represent the people, and not narrow groups or special interests. This is another reason why I will be voting for Juan Gonzalez as my first choice for Mayor, and respectfully ask that you do the same. Stephen Cassidy Former Mayor of San Leandro

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