| Steve Mann lets history speak for
itself
By Jennifer
Pearson Bonnett
News-Sentinel staff writer
Steve Mann is running for a third
City Council term on his record.
“Certainly my eight years counts
for something,” he said regarding the upcoming Nov. 7
election. “I’m also a 40-year resident.”
Mann, currently the mayor, is a 1969
Lodi High School graduate who attended local schools after
moving to Lodi from Modesto as a youth. His father, Jerry,
was a well-known Lodi pharmacist who owned a downtown drugstore.
“I enjoy being a facilitator,
and that’s what people elect public officials for,”
he said. “I think I’ve been a good facilitator.”
Mann, 49, and his wife, Jill, have
two daughters.
He has a degree in business management
and is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.
Previously, Mann has served on the
San Joaquin County Water Advisory Commission and the East
San Joaquin Party’s Organization, a group of water purveyors
and representatives of various water districts.
Currently, he’s a member of the
Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO.
“Council and LAFCO take up most
of my time,” Mann said.
A publisher, he founded the “Lodi
Life and Times” newspaper and has published seven books
involving the history of Lodi, including the “Remember
When” series.
Mann said the most important issues
he sees for the next council to handle include the public
safety building and Eastside redevelopment.
“Obviously the Eastside is a
complex issue, and there’s no common solution. It will
take a lot of time and a lot of money,” he said.
“So far the City Council has
taken some very positive steps, but more need to be taken.
We need a plan of attack concurrently with what we’re
doing now.”
Mann, who works for San Joaquin County
as a systems and programming analyst, said he is also in favor
of the renewed interest in the creation of a greenbelt.
“The big question is how do you
do it, and how do you pay for it?”
But ultimately, Mann added, there
must be a meeting of the minds. “I don’t think you
voluntarily mandate land owners not to build on their property.
There’s a lot more work to be done there.”
Economic development is also key for
Mann. “That is the economic engine that drives our economy,”
he said. “Private industry makes government possible,
so we have to continue to be user-friendly.”
In the past five years, more than
1,000 jobs have been added within the city, Mann added.
The candidate, who is also in favor
of the indoor sports center and a second city swimming pool,
said he should be elected to another term because he has the
experience.
“I also have the dedication.
I have the record that shows that shows I’m effective
in getting things done. The City Council has been a council
of achievement and conservatism.”
Mann said the hardest part about the
campaign is just that: Campaigning.
“It’s grueling,” he
joked, adding that walking precincts is a timely undertaking.
“It’s rewarding, but time consuming. But that’s
how you get elected.”
This story was first published
Oct. 26, 2000.
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