Kathryn Nance Talks Congressional Race, Says New Leadership is Needed

Kathryn Nance, a Stockton Police Sergeant, is one of two republicans running against 5-term Congressman Jerry McNerney in the Congressional 9th District.

Nance, who is married and the mother of four, has served 19-years as a Stockton Police Officer is also the President of the Stockton Police Officers Association and served as the chairperson of the Strides Against Breast Cancer San Joaquin.

She is direct and to the point of why she is running, she says it’s due to Rep McNerney’s poor leadership in the District.

“I am very unhappy with the leadership and involvement with our Congressman in the District. In Stockton, I also saw how decisions were being made with poor spending and a lack of concern for the community, it made me want to seek a change and help make it better around here,” said Nance.

She believes with good leadership, things can begin to improve across all three counties which include San Joaquin, Contra Costa and Sacramento.

“The issues across the District are similar when you factor in crime, the delta, jobs and agriculture, it can solved with good leadership and someone who is involved and in the room when decisions are being made,” explained Nance. “In dealing with Stockton bankruptcy, I can apply this across the board because it’s a bigger issue we can deal with. For example, with crime in Stockton, it’s a great indicator of how you can be successful in other areas. Antioch has high crime, we must stop making incarceration the only solution and instead find ways to create educational opportunities and job training for careers before people enter the criminal lifestyle. That is my passion.”

She believes that if programs and people are in put in the right places, local communities can be successful in preventing someone from entering the “system”.  If the cycle is broken and people are getting jobs, it improves the community and safety also improves and thus crime throughout the District goes down.

“I’ve been a police officer for 19-years.  I’ve not seen any support from Jerry McNerney. I see him around election time seeking endorsements, but that is about it. He likes to issue press releases and have press conferences, but for law enforcement support, I haven’t seen any,” explained Nance. “It’s time to support public safety in general and that includes firefighters, paramedics, EMT’s and our military.”

Nance cleaning up graffiti on a Stockton building

She further highlighted that nationally, there is a lot of anti-police talk and Congress is not leading on the issue saying McNerney has remained silent. She noted that for the hundreds of positive impacts police make, the media takes one negative and turns it into a national issue, that is something that needs to stop.

“It’s going to take a strong person with a background in law enforcement to say police officers are human, mistakes are made, but we still need to make them feel wanted and appreciated because police help keep communities safe,” said Nance. “The national message needs to be improved because we need younger officers and there is a hiring and retention problem. A lot of it has to do with a lack of respect by elected officials.”

Nance has received endorsements from five law enforcement groups: the Stockton Police Officers Association, Antioch Police Officers Association, Lodi Police Officers Association, Contra Costa County Deputy Sheriffs Association and San Joaquin County Probation Officers Association.

Her biggest issue is public safety which includes terrorism which she says Congressman McNerney is failing this country.

“Safety is a huge issue in communities like Stockton and Antioch.  To prevent crime, we must use education to reduce it. We must have that difficult conversation between federal and local agencies to come up with a plan to protect our community. McNerney has been absent,” explained Nance. “Terrorism is a national problem that McNerney is non-responsive too. He voted in favor of the Iran deal. Iran is the largest funder of state sponsored terrorism and we have seen that hit close to home.”

Another issue that Nance says she will fight hard for is preserving the Delta and coming up with a real water fix solution. She says McNerney is not doing enough for the Delta.

“The Delta is an amazing resource and is something no one else has and other parts of the country don’t understand. There is a fresh water seaport, some of the best fishing in the world, a ecosystem unlike any other, the twin tunnels will destroy the quality of life here and I oppose that,” explained Nance.

Nance says she supports increased water storage and finding ways to replenish the ground water.

“The congressman says he opposes the tunnels, but the last budget he voted for it had funding for the tunnels in it and for the high-speed rail. A lot of people don’t realize that,” explained Nance. “The biggest thing about the tunnels, it’s not enough to feel a certain way, but we need a voice that is heard and that is lacking. It’s not about the idea; it’s about leadership and making the local voice heard. I don’t feel confident our concerns with water and agricultural is making it to Washington DC.”

She continued by stating she understands people are telling the Congressman how they feel about the Delta, but nothing is being done.

“You have to make your voice heard, you can’t simply just write a letter and think you accomplished something,” says Nance. “If you don’t speak up about it, or are activity fighting for it then the effort doesn’t matter because the other side is well organized, well-funded, and providing better messaging to get what they want accomplished. That is what is happening with the Delta Tunnels fight right now.”

In fact, speaking up about issues and not being happy with leadership is why she decided to run for Congress.

“It was a lot of me saying I wasn’t happy with how things were going and there has to be a better way,” explained Nance. “Someone asked me what I was going to do to fix it. When I became a president of the POA, I was elected to represent officers and ensure their needs were met by the leaders of the community. A congressman is not any different in that they need to meet the needs of the district. When I realized that was the job, I knew I can put my leadership skills to use in that arena.”

Some have suggested Nance should run for city council or county supervisor, but she says she won’t do that because she loves being a police officer too much and there are certain things she would resign from being a police officer for—Congress is one of them.

“With my job, I can’t run for city council unless I resign. There are certain things I would resign for; I work for the City of Stockton so I can’t do that. The Board of Supervisors is a full time position so I can’t have my job,” highlighted Nance. “As Congresswoman, I would have to resign and that was a hardest decision I had to face, leaving a job I love. To resign, it has to be a very good reason and to have better leadership and have things happen in this district is a very good reason. It was a hard decision to weight but I whole heartily believe I can make big changes in the District and across the county.”

She hopes that if elected, she can provide a voice to law enforcement and public safety at a national level with real problems that can be talked about and addressed, noting that currently, there is only one law enforcement officer (Dave Reichert of Washington, who has already endorsed Nance) serving in Congress.

“In Congress, there is too much politics at play. As a police officer, we use common sense to solve problems. Congress can use a little bit more common sense,” says Nance.

Nance highlighted the issues facing the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District have not been addressed because Congressman McNerney has been absent from the conversation. She admits it’s a state issue, but fire districts across the country are underfunded in general and that means it’s not only a local or state issue, but a national issue.

“There has to be an opportunity for these districts to have the money for them to survive. Currently individual communities they are served by have a say in the level of funding, but you need a fully funded fire department or you have response time issues. If you have response time issues, then insurance rate costs are then linked to the fire department. You pay one way or the other.”

She noted that she understands the fire issue because the City of Stockton had a similar issue while admitting East Contra Costa needs more than 3-engines serving 100,000 people and 250 square miles.

“One of the issues is are the fire District fighting hard enough for the money and the second is the Congressman even involved to help them fight for that money?” says Nance. “There are solutions available out there, but we need a congressperson fighting for it. If there is help on a federal level, I 100% will fight for the funding for the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District.”

She notes that in Stockton, police and fire work together on solutions and what is going on with fire service in East Contra Costa is not acceptable.

“To have a response time over 8-minutes in the communities of Brentwood, Oakley and Discovery Bay, it’s really not acceptable and they deserve someone fighting for them,” says Nance.

Another issue dear to Nance is the military and supporting veterans. Nance comes from a military family and her son will be joining the Navy in a few weeks. She says more must be done for both active duty military and our veterans.

“McNerney says he is for the veterans, but I don’t see a lot being done. Fighting for the current military and veterans it’s one of the ways we can show support. We have to provide them with better healthcare because it’s appalling when they come home the type of healthcare they receive, the hoops they most jump through. We have veterans in Stockton and Contra Costa who have to commute all the way to Palo Alto in some cases for services, that is unacceptable,” says Nance. “Instead of giving state sponsors of terrorism money, how about we give that money to veteran services where it belongs.”

When asked about what it’s been like to run for Congress, she called the experience wonderful and has enjoyed every minute of it saying people are ready for change and to feel empowered.

“It’s been wonderful, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. People don’t believe me when I say that. But I have enjoyed the process and not once regretted the decision. I am talking and meeting people who are amazing, have great ideas and passion with drive. I love that. There are some things I obviously don’t like, but it’s been an amazing experience,” said Nance.

She noted that what she has come to learn is many people have given up in the community and she wants to change that.

“I don’t like the idea that some people in this district have given up and don’t think the changes they want to see will ever happen. That bothers me, we have a lot to offer and when people don’t give up or achieve what they want through our congressman then that is the first thing that we need to change. We need to work together both republican and democrat to achieve a better country. Right now, political rhetoric is ruining this country,” says Nance. “We have had such minimal help for so long, people have forgotten what good leadership is. It’s hard to see people who have given up, I want to bring back the potential that change can happen and begin to drive the district to positive change regardless of whether its San Joaquin, Contra Costa or Sacramento County.”

Nance believes voters should vote for her because she will bring change to the District which will benefit the county’s she serves and will be present on issues facing the communities she represents.

“People of this District want change. They want results and I am the mechanism that will get it done,” says Nance. “I have a proven track record for leading and enacting change that is successful. I have a background of getting things done in law enforcement. This district needs a leader that will go forward.”

For more information on Kathryn Nance for Congress, visit http://www.nance2016.com/
April 14: Coffee With the Candidate in Discovery Bay
If you live in Discovery Bay, stop by Callahan’s Coffee and Cones on Thursday, April 14th from 7:30am to 9am and meet Kathryn Nance, Candidate for Congress in the 9th Congressional District.

Stop by while starting your day or on your way into work and have a FREE cup of coffee on us and ask Kathryn any questions you might have about the campaign!