Dear Editor,

Pat Paul, an Oakdale mayoral candidate, stated during a League of Women Voters forum held on Sept. 21 for the Nov. 2 mayor election that excessive “red tape” at City Hall stifled volunteerism and businesses wanting to set up business here in Oakdale.

That comment was refuted in part by Mayor Farrell Jackson, who is running for re-election. The Mayor stated that Ms. Paul got herself in trouble in 2002 as a Stanislaus County Supervisor by ignoring “red tape.”

A Modesto Bee article of September 22, 2010, titled “Oakdale Mayoral Hopefuls Trade Criticism” provided the following clarifying Mayor Jackson’s comment concerning Ms. Paul and “red tape”:

“He was referring to gifts — a ride in a private plane valued at $287 and a $196 spa treatment — that Paul received from a developer but did not report on her statement of economic interests. The California Fair Political Practices Commission fined Paul $6,500 for the incident.”

This violation should be considered as an issue involving trust. According to St. Luke, Chapter 16, Verse 10, “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.”

I leave the answer to the question “Does Trust Matter” to the reader. In my humble opinion it matters a great deal! Vote for Mayor Jackson; a trustworthy man of honor and integrity; a man whose leadership we continue to need in these dire economic times.

Sincerely,

Frank J. Kaiser