This is a major election for some. Stanislaus County has some pretty serious races in progress including sheriff and county superintendent. On the other hand, those in Merced County are, for the most part, facing fairly simple election decisions. The Assessor, Auditor/Clerk, District Attorney, Sheriff, Treasurer/Tax Collector and County Superintendent are all uncontested and many of them are incumbents. Despite the races being uncontested, we would like to make specific endorsements for three of the races.

Sheriff: We support the re-election of Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin. We have seen good things happening in our area since his election and we have had the opportunity to meet him. Delhi is now home to the North Area Substation and continues to have the services of Deputy Joey Cardenas as School Resource Officer. Pazin personally records the “Merced County’s Most Wanted” feature that appears on local radio stations. We believe he will continue to serve Merced County and the Delhi area well.

County Superintendent: Lee Andersen stood at Delhi’s side during the Territory Transfer meetings and personally appeared on behalf of Delhi Unified School District. Having the support of county officials throughout the process was a wonderful thing to see. Andersen has served the county well during his time as County Superintendent and we see no reason why he shouldn’t continue. We happily support the re-election of Lee Andersen.

Assessor: It is our pleasure to endorse Kent Christensen for assessor. In addition to bringing experience with him, he brings a wonderful personality. Christensen is a very active member of the Delhi-Ballico Lions Club. He is supportive of Delhi and in return, we believe Delhi should be supportive of him in his efforts. Not only do we endorse him, but we wish him all the best.

Feature Endorsement:
MEASURE A
The Delhi Express fully supports Measure A.

A great deal of effort has been put into organizing this measure and getting it onto the June ballot. One of the greatest complaints we hear throughout Delhi is about the roads. A yes vote on Measure A will approve a one-half cent sales tax increase that will go strictly to matching state and federal funds for our local roads. When Merced County is unable to match those state and federal funds, we lose. The money goes to counties who are able to match the funds. Every penny of the funds raised will remain in Merced County.

The Merced County Association of Governments held meetings throughout Merced County to get community input on what projects were most needed. Projects will be done in Delhi, as well as within other parts of the county, with these funds. When a similar measure appeared on the ballot a few years ago, Delhi voters approved it, yet it fell short countywide. A minimum of 67-percent of Merced County voters must say YES on Measure A in order for it to pass. In addition to the specific projects for which the funds are allocated, there are general plans including regular road maintenance which is desperately needed in our area.

On June 6, vote YES on MEASURE A.

For our Stanislaus County readers, we support Adam Christianson for Sheriff-Coroner. We have followed this race closely and spoken with several individuals in Stanislaus and Merced counties. We believe that Christianson is the best choice in this election.

For County Superintendent, we support Maria Alvarez. This was not an easy decision to make. However, Alvarez brings a tremendous background in education with her. She first worked in schools as a paraprofessional. She has also worked as a teacher. She has worked in Merced and Stanislaus counties, as well as for the California Department of Education. She has worked hard not only in her career as an educator, but in completing her own education at the same time. After speaking with individuals in Stanislaus County, we believe Alvarez is a fine choice for County Superintendent.

Finally, we endorse Mike Cummins for District Attorney. We are aware that some have been unhappy with Cummins’ latest campaign. We first became acquainted with him at a campaign event last June. We did not know who he was then and over the past year, we have learned more about him. We have spoken with people who know him and people who have met him simply by chance. We believe Cummins is the best choice in this election.

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I had a great time in Reno visiting my friends, George and Bobbie, from Missouri. We had a good time catching up and talking about old times. The gambling, not so good. I have definitely paid my Nevada dues for the year.

My brother-in-law, Johnny, and his wife, Maddie, from Mississippi, stopped by for a visit. I can spell Mississippi because my mom and dad taught me to spell it like this - M… I… crooked letter, crooked letter I…. crooked letter, crooked letter I…..humpback, humpback I. It sounds like more to remember but it was easy because it was fun. Anyway, Johnny and Maddie came to visit family in Modesto and Camarillo, as well as family in Arizona. Along the way, Maddie got to see the Grand Canyon, Crater Lake and Yosemite which she really enjoyed.

My great niece, Zoe, daughter of Chris and Michelle Wagoner of Delhi, turned one-year-old on May 3. She had a birthday party the Sunday before and it was standing room only. She is the first grandbaby on her mom’s side and there were grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends in attendance to celebrate the occasion. You may recall that Zoe has had health problems since birth and has been on our prayer chain. She’s doing pretty well now but your prayers are still needed and appreciated. She is allergic to lots of things, so Michelle’s friend, Tea, made her a birthday cake without dairy and it was delicious. Zoe doesn’t normally like sweets but she loved her cake. She had cake from head to toe.
May is a huge birthday month for us. You better watch out for those hot August nights. My great niece, Chandler (the ice skater), who lives in Minnesota, celebrated her eleventh birthday on May 13. Her mother, my niece Cammie, will be celebrating on May 24. Cammie’s son, Michael, will celebrate his birthday on May 25. My grandson, Cody, will celebrate his eleventh birthday on May 24. Our friend Michelle Thompson’s birthday is May 18. And, finally, my friend Ken Yonan, of Ceres, will celebrate his birthday on May 25, which is the same day as my nephew, so he’s always called Michael “Little Ken”. When the military contacted Ken as a character reference for Michael, it was a while before Ken knew who they were talking about so, of course, Ken had to explain why he didn’t seem to know the name of the person he was vouching for. Ken had a major surgery a couple of weeks ago and, while the surgery went well, I’m sure he and his family would appreciate your prayers for a speedy recovery. Happy belated birthday to Ashlee Thompson, who celebrated her sweet sixteen on April 30.

Have you been watching American Idol? I have been watching it religiously and I was very upset when Chris Daughtry was cast aside. I do like Katherine, Elliott and Taylor though. I saw Chris on Ellen Degenerous’s show and he said he believes things happen for a reason and so do I. Ellen told Chris he was her American Idol. Ditto.

It’s pretty hot for the middle of May, don’t you think? This is the time of year when I get really nostalgic. The school year is winding down, everybody is making plans for summer vacation, children who were toddlers just yesterday it seems are graduating from high school, and I am really missing Larry. He would have been messing with the motor home getting it ready for any trips we might want to take. Sometimes we just got in it and went on down the road, stopping wherever we felt like for as long as we liked. Maybe Val, our grandsons, and I will take one more trip before I sell the motor home. I think Larry would like that.

Congratulations to Thomas Thompson Jr. who will graduate from Livingston High School on June 2. Way to go, Thomas!

REMEMBER TO VOTE TUESDAY, JUNE 6.

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