WATSONVILLE—With the 2020 election right around the corner, most candidates are doing what they can to garner support, and finding ways to convince voters to choose them over another candidate.
But what do candidates do if they are running unopposed? What should they focus on, who do they contact and what can they do to connect with the community?
Eduardo Montesino, who is running unopposed for a seat on the Watsonville City Council in District 1, says that running unopposed has been an interesting experience.
“It’s both good and bad,” Montesino said. “You aren’t spending a lot of time campaigning against another person, but honestly… not a lot of people are paying attention to you, either. It can be hard, getting your name out there.”
Montesino has been focusing on reaching out to residents—especially those in his district. Many residents, he says, are still confused about the exact boundaries of each district in the city. Letting constituents know who he is and what his goals are for District 1 is important.
“With this pandemic, it makes reaching out to people even harder,” he said. “People are more nervous and reserved. You have to be a lot more careful going door-to-door, or even making calls.”
Montesino, who has served on the City Council in previous years and acted as Mayor, said he was eager to jump back into the fray. The father of three says that with his children now being older, he can give a little more time to his position.
“Now my focus is doing positive things for my city… so my kids can have a better place to live,” he said.
Montesino has spent more 20 years with Santa Cruz METRO, first as a bus driver and then eventually landing a supervisor position. He says his years with METRO have been helpful in learning how to work with various city councils, county supervisors and other agencies at the same time.
“Having that experience has really helped me understand a lot,” he said.
As Mayor, Montesino helped establish a Youth City Council, aiming to help youth be more involved in city government. He spearheaded a green waste and recycling program for residents, and helped pass Measure G, which provided funding for local fire and police departments.
In his next stint on the City Council, Montesino wants to focus on housing, transportation and rebooting the economy—things that are vital during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“With this crisis, we need more forward-thinking people,” he said. “We need to find ways to improve the way we all live… That could be building better sidewalks, or making it easier for people to find housing. There are going to be a lot of funding opportunities in the future.”
Montesino says he is passionate about transforming the Ramsay Park Soccer Field into artificial turf.
“Ramsay is our largest park… this will enhance it, so we can have two fields,” he said. “Soccer is a very important sport for Watsonville.”
Despite running unopposed, Montestino says he hopes to make a statement during his campaign, and help the community get more involved with local politics.
“We forget sometimes that elections are more than just battling opponents,” he said. “We should be finding ways to debate topics, discuss important issues. That kind of dialogue is not really present in Watsonville, and that’s something we should change.”
Also running unopposed is Georgia Acosta, who is seeking reelection for Area 2 of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board. Acosta did not respond to phone calls or emails requesting comment before press time.
