It's time for a fresh start for Modesto.
Sue Zwahlen, former nurse and Modesto City Schools Trustee, today issued the following statement announcing her candidacy for Mayor of Modesto -
“The extraordinary challenges facing Modesto and our over 225,000 residents are not well served by acrimony and lack of cooperation by our city’s elected leaders.
That is why I have decided to seek election as Modesto’s next mayor.
The pandemic makes more immediate the financial crisis facing our city. We lack resources for essential services in health and public safety. Unfortunately, our state and federal governments face the same economic challenges we face in Modesto, and, as we have seen in the past, we do not rank high on their priority lists for assistance in the best of times, let alone the worst.
There is no silver bullet that will resolve Modesto’s problems. But we can find solutions if we work together.
Modesto must present a united front on public safety, job creation, affordable housing, and a healthy quality of life for all our residents. Division does nothing to further our city’s interests. As Mayor, I will work with my council colleagues on moving Modesto forward. I will help us find common ground.
Our challenges are not just at City Hall. Modesto needs to be a partner in economic development with Stanislaus County, not a rival. We need to speak with a strong and consistent voice to our state and federal government to make sure our city’s needs and our region’s needs are addressed, not ignored.
If elected mayor, I will bring a lifetime of experience and skills as a nurse, and as an elected school trustee of Modesto’s largest school district, to restoring the fundamental trust between our city government and the public it serves.”