Letter: Pinto for Antioch City Council

Antioch City Council Candidate Noel Pinto submitted this letter to the Editor announcing his candidacy this week. While Pinto pulled papers on Monday, this letter outlines his many goals and his experience that he believes will be an asset to the City of Antioch.

Editor:

I am writing to announce my candidacy for Antioch City Council 2012.

I have been a resident of this diverse Antioch community for over eight years and I truly enjoy living in this city that has the unique potential of again becoming the desired location to own a home, raise a family and retire comfortably.

In order to get Antioch back on track, we need leadership who has the vision for beneficial growth, is willing to think outside the box, has the courage to be transparent, is creative and inclusive, who understands the complexities of fiscal responsibilities and who is committed to being held accountable. I believe I am that leader.

While I have tremendous respect for our City Council members currently serving, I sincerely believe that I bring new vision, energy, commitment, intensity, integrity, work experience and a strong desire to take on new challenges. I will reach out to developers to invest in Antioch, introduce a Five-Year City-wide Business Plan with pre-established milestones and initiate the creation of a Finance and Budget Committee with at least two members from the business community. Fully funding the police department (PD) is my number-one priority; we cannot afford to understaff the PD, for our safety and the safety of our children are at risk and this is unacceptable.

I have a degree in civil engineering and a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. I have more than 31 years of management experience working for the Port of Oakland, City and County of San Francisco, University of California, Berkeley and the City of Oakland (my current employer). I intimately understand the inner workings of city government and the complexities of governance.

My work experience has focused on management of municipal facilities; project funding, project management, contract negotiation, labor relations, multimillion-dollar fiscal budgeting, multimillion-dollar revenue generation, developing efficiencies through lean processes, conflict resolution and team building, and developing strong community relations. I have years of hands-on experience working with various community groups, news media, state and county offices, city commissions and boards, city council, mayor’s office, police, fire and city agencies and departments.

I have served as a member of my homeowner’s association for four years, of which two years were as the president of the board. My wife and I have been members of United Citizens for Better Neighborhoods (UCBN) since its inception.

My humble goal is to serve all the citizens of the City of Antioch with dedication, integrity, fairness, transparency and full accountability. I will represent all city residents without bias and will involve the community in the decision-making process. I will listen to you by hosting community meetings on a regular basis at key locations and times convenient to you.

I encourage you to get to know me better by visiting my website, www.noelpinto.com, and communicate with me via e-mail at noel@noelpinto. Please support my campaign.

It is my privilege to have this opportunity to serve you.

Noel Pinto

Antioch