Candidate Profiles: Chavez running for county supervisor
For The Madera Tribune
John Chavez.
Honesty. Integrity. Transparency.
These are qualities John Chavez, 14-year city council member and current mayor for the City of Chowchilla, said he will bring to the District 2 seat on the Madera County Board of Supervisors if elected in June. These are qualities, Chavez said, he has always strived to live by.
According to Chavez, he wants to help, as part of the Board of Supervisors, make the county a safer environment for everyone who chooses to live here.
“I want to see District 2, and all of Madera County, succeed economically and, as part of the Board, help improve the overall quality of life. My children plan to move here, my grandkids will grow up here, and I plan to spend the rest of my life here. I want to do all I can to ensure they feel the same way I do,” Chavez said.
“I will always listen to the people’s concerns, and if I don’t have the answer then I will do all I can to find that answer,” Chavez said. “I will always be honest and open with everything I do.”
Chavez believes he is the solution to creating a strong relationship between county government and the people. He said he intends to host town hall meetings in various parts of the district on a regular basis in order to speak directly with the constituents, which he said will help him better address their concerns.
“As a representative, we are tasked with making sure our decisions are the best for the people, and that includes spending the people’s money. Every penny should be accounted for, and every decision to spend should benefit the taxpayers,” Chavez said.
“One of my top priorities is water,” he added, stating he would like to build an alliance with neighboring counties to follow through with water storage projects. Some projects have been approved, he said, yet appear to have stalled. He wants to work with the other board members to get those projects moving again.
As part of the city council, Chavez has helped bring water storage and increased capacity to the city. As part of the project, a new well was drilled, and two 750,000-gallon storage tanks were installed. Solar panels were installed to provide power to the pumps and some city buildings.
As for accomplishments he has made while on Chowchilla City Council, Chavez said he doesn’t like to think of those achievements as his, but those of the council as a team.
“I am one of five,” he said. “I work together with the rest of my council members to better the community for all constituents. When I came on the board, the city was leaning toward bankruptcy. We were going to lose our police force. We worked together to figure out a way to keep our force. Now, we have a special tax that has allowed us to enhance that force. I feel like this is a good time for me to move on to do what I can to help the residents of Madera County.”
Chavez said he looks forward to serving the people of District 2 and he hopes to have many one-on-one conversations and face today’s challenges as part of a team.
