Alford Keeps Eye on Taxpayer Dollars

Four challengers join incumbent Mark Ross in a race for a seat on the Martinez City Council. They include former Planning Commissioner Anamarie Avila Farias, analyst Arsenio Escudero, longtime resident advocate Michael Alford, and Dylan Radke, son of two former council members and chair of the city Park, Recreation, Marina and Cultural Commission. Patch asked all five candidates to talk about the city, its challenges, and its potential in their own words -- and to explain why voters should elect them. Today we hear from Alford.

What are your ideas for dealing with the Marina?

The Martinez Marina is and has been a lie to the people of Martinez --- for over 15 years (with at least three ) of our current counsel members --- and the last 10 years ---- with All of the current city counsel . They have been given millions of dollars from the Department of Boat & Waterways in Sacramento ! They have done nothing to make our Marina what they promised US  --- I talked to the director Mrs. Lucia Brasera she runs all of this for the state that deals with Our Martinez before told me to my face three years ago that she was fed up with what had NOT been done! that Nothing had been done that they were trying  and had been trying to help make this marina come together She told me that all they could get were excuses That they were not even trying to make their payments --  She went on to say that I (Mike Alford) was the ONLY Martinez citizen that had ever came up to her office in Sacramento and asked for an accounting for the Money and What was expected of the City Counsel & the marina Management for the city of Martinez. But no one had ever bothered to come in and ask for what was simply public information! Last year I wrote exactly What the director Mrs. Brasera of D.B.W. had said. I Wrote all of this on Patch!

I Told the Marina Commission & The City Counsel -  I told and wrote all of what the director SAID ten months before the mayor & staff admitted that NO  More Money Was Coming to the City Of Martinez from the State -- now for 10 months nothing but lies were told to the taxpayers - So you see how can our Marina ever be completed with the lies & deception that the people of Martinez have put up with from our leaders the people we are suppose to trust ? we need to have people that will get this Marina Completed  Or, Simply put, We Won’t Have A Martinez Marina.

Do you support the annexation of Alhambra Valley and North Pacheco?

No I Don't Support the Alhambra  Valley Annexation Why Would the people Of Alhambra Valley Want to be in  The City Limits Of A City Limits Of a city that Cant ever complete A Project It starts And at least the people of Alhambra Valley Take care of their Roads and Streets ! Why Would They Want The Value Of Their Property's  To Drop ? No Absolutely NOT ! If the people of Alhambra Valley want in the City Limits of Martinez , Than Let it Be their Own Dissection And By Their Own VOTE !  Not By The Special interest Groups That Tell The City Counsel Of Martinez What To Do! Only The People Of Alhambra Valley (All Of Alhambra Valley) Have a Right To Make That Dissection !

City staff has been severely diminished in the past two years. Do you think this level of staff is sustainable for effective local government?

Absolutely not! They Couldn't even take care of their Streets, their parks (That's why we had to vote for the Measure H Bond 30 Million Dollars) and now they Want to loan out staff to a project that isn't even in the city limits of Martinez ? It Doesn't even make sense We Can’t Take care Of Our Infrastructure So why Would We Loan Out Our Depleted staff ? And Let the Taxpayer (YOU) pay the Bill! No this Kind Of Abuse And so called leadership Has To Change and be held Accountable For its citizens.

Measure H has funded the improvement of the pool, library and parks. Where will the city find the money to maintain these improvements? 

I think I made myself VERY clear on that On that with the previous question ----- With the way This City Works taking Care Or All Their Previous Parks. You Can See Why I said It won’t work with the leadership that we have Leading this City! It will go by the wayside and they will hire more Consultants so they can blame it on them! that's been their way of not having to be responsible to the taxpayer . And that is why we had to have a 30 million dollar bond (measure H) and folks it’s all on (YOU) the taxpayers!

What are your three favorite things about Martinez?

No.1 --- I've lived here all my life. It is my Sanctuary. it has always been my destination no matter how far I ever went no matter where I ever moved or lived I missed Martinez . The people  from Martinez  they were always like a part of me. I learned from them ,some even took care of me while growing up I think in all that I am ! Maybe all that I will ever be is because of this place Called Martinez . So you see asking me what are my three favorite Things about Martinez would be like asking about Life ! it is my Passion, My Love My past, My Future ! See I need to serve, What has served and nurtured me. To give back what has been given to me . It is as much a part of me as I am of Martinez Or Another way of saying Life is love , And My Love is Martinez !

What are your three least favorite things about Martinez? 

The degradation of a community that was so real so Close and Family Oriented where you could walk down any street and feel safe ,people would always have a smile on their face. There was always a sense of hope people believed in each other they always helped each other ! But than things changed in the late 60s & early 70s  We became Political We Had to Be Politically Correct !  When That happened we started to lose our Spirit !  When we lost our Faith Well we started to lose our direction And when we lost that we became a city divided That is when we began to lose hope because our leadership let us down for the last 20 years we have felt helpless and divided as a community we Need To have real leadership to have hope again to believe in each other and bring Martinez back to the people and have some faith that Martinez will always be that special Place in our lives !

What qualifies you to sit on the City Council? 

Living here all my life Knowing every nook and cranny, everybody and anybody that I grew up and got to know and still to get to know! To have Been to 236 straight meetings In the last seven years To have stood up and talked at every one of those meetings .To have questioned and gone to Sacramento and asked about our Marina to have stood up for Our Citizens time after time to have asked questions that  that our City Counsel wouldn't Answer ! We Have All Been Lied To For over The Last Two Decades ! It Has To Stop Now! If You Elect me (Mike Alford)  I Can Give You My Word ! It Will STOP ! YOU will Know the truth, You will know where who and why ! the people that are running this city And With Me in there serving You The Taxpayer And Voter !  YOU will Have Your Voices Heard And Your Will  Enforced . When you Say NO and when you Ask Questions  I Will make sure  You Are Answered As You ASK them ! That Is My Word to the People Of Martinez ! I will Answer To You ! You Vote For Me (Mike Alford) You Wont Be Sorry ,We Will Make A Change ! --  Thank You ----- Your Ardent Servant ---  Mike Alford