"Fil-Ams should get involved politically if they want their children and grandchildren to have a fair share of the American pie," says Councilmember-elect Christopher Mateo, the newest member of the Lathrop, CA City Council.
"We can pave the way for our children and grandchildren through the process of representation in all areas of government. I would like to see the day when FilAms running for the US Congress or Senate would not be as big of a deal anymore," adds Mateo.
Mateo joins the growing list of elected officials of Filipino heritage in Northern California, becoming the first Baguio-born elected official in Lathrop, a city located in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
Chris had to battle four other candidates to win one of two open seats in the Lathrop City Council. He came out second, beating third-placer Steve Dresser, an incumbent, by 30 votes.
A retired postal clerk, Mateo and his wife decided to retire in Lathrop because they wanted to be closer to their children, sons-in-law and grandchildren. Chris believes that participating in the electoral process – in this case, running for the City Council in Lathrop – is one of the best ways of becoming involved in the community, which is one of the Mateos’ goals when they entered retirement.
Christopher Mateo’s priorities as a member of the Lathrop City Council include public safety, fiscal management and a higher quality of life for the city.
In order to successfully address those priorities, Chris, during his campaign, proposed the building of a hospital in Lathrop, the creation of a position for a City Auditor who will audit the city’s revenues and expenditures, the continued encouragement of residents to maintain the beauty and cleanliness of the community, the continued vigilance of city officials to make sure that the Lathrop water supply is free from pesticides and other toxic chemicals, and the attraction of businesses and industries that can benefit the community as a whole through increased employment opportunities and reduction in commuter travel & pollution.
Chris believes that being a fresh face in City Hall and politics will help him as he can bring new ideas, while representing all Lathrop residents in the political process, a fact which he pointed out during his campaign for office.
"I will uphold the principles of fairness and impartiality. I will also make sure that the principles of public ethics laws are enforced. But, more importantly, I will represent you, the residents of Lathrop, in our political process," he stated in one of his campaign statements.
Prior to his successful run for public office, Mateo worked with the US Postal Service for 31 years, before which he was an Aircraft Mechanic with the US Navy for a few years. Chris is a graduate of San Jose State University, where he majored in Economics.
As he prepares for his inauguration to office on Dec. 2, Christopher Mateo has one simple advice for FilAms interested in running for public office.
"Before anything else, assess your ‘electability’," he says.
(Some information obtained from Christopher Mateo’s candidate profile at www.smartvoter.org.)
( Published on November 28, 2008 in Asian Journal Northern California P. B1 )
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