Part 2: Capital Public Radio profiles the candidates in Stockton's Mayoral Race.
Stockton voters will cast their ballots next week to decide who will be the city’s next mayor. Two of the seven candidates in the race to be Stockton's mayor are making their first foray into politics.
Sean Murray, 56, is a bus driver for San Joaquin Regional Transit.
He’s following his father’s advice to quit complaining and do something about it.
So Murray is throwing his hat into the ring and for him bringing back youth programs tops his list to combat crime.
"We can be effective in this city by creating more youth programs, changing the way way we feel about our youth, we have the opportunity change it, it takes the will of the people to do it," he says.
Tony Mannor owns Finnegan’s Irish Pub and Restaurant and for him crime is one the major reasons he decided to get involved.
He sees many officers leaving the force to go to other cities and says pay and compensation may have to be increased.
"We don’t have to have the highest paid police officers in the state but we should be at least at the level of Manteca, Lathrop, Lodi, and the areas that surround us because right now we’re actually a little bit lower than everybody else," he says.
Any candidate that wins more than 50 percent of the vote would be elected to office, otherwise the two top vote getters will face off in November.
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