My name is Hunter Sauls, and I am running for Modesto City Council for District 6. I was born on April 3rd, 1997, and I have lived in Modesto all my life. I graduated from Central Catholic High School in 2015, and then joined the United States Army as a 19K M1 Armor Crewman, driving, loading, and shooting tanks with the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. I spent 3 and a half years in Fort Hood, as well as spending 10 months of those 3 and a half years on a rotation to Camp Casey in the Republic of Korea to train with South Korean forces.
After I was honorably discharged from the active service, I joined the California National Guard as a 27D Paralegal Specialist. The Paralegal Specialist provides support to unit commanders and the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, as well as provides legal documents in courts-martial, Article 15 actions and other military justice matters. I am stationed at the National Guard Armory on Kansas Ave in Modesto, where my duties require me to provide legal and administrative support to my Battalion Command Staff. I also work with my father Scott at Willey Printing Company in downtown Modesto.
I decided to run for the Modesto City Council for District 6 because I have always wanted to run for elected office and I have always wanted to serve the town that I was born and raised in. I have read and talked with people about the lack of transparency, direction, and care for the voice of the people that the recent City Council has had, and I think that I can bring a youthful and motivated spirit to the council. I want to connect with the people of my district and those of Modesto to discuss all issues that the city faces currently and will eventually have to face in the future. My time in the Army has taught me the value of working hard and giving 100% percent at all time, and I aim to bring that attitude and more to the City Council.
I can help my district and the city of Modesto by always being open and accountable to them, and always trying to do my best to get the input of everyone, whether they agree or disagree with me on those issues at hand. I want to build a trust and a dialogue between myself and the people of Modesto so that we can discuss issues and try to work together to formulate reasonable plans to solve problems.
I promise to always stand on principle with everything I do, even if that means I will stand alone. I do not want to be viewed as a backroom dealer, or someone who does not take the people’s input into account. I want to be someone people can feel free to talk to, to discuss everything and anything, to exchange ideas with, and ultimately to forge a plan to make our city and community better, not only for our generation, but for generations to come.
I hope that I can do right by the people of District 6 and Modesto, and I hope that I can prove myself worthy of being their representative on the Modesto City Council. I know that I am up to the task, and I look forward to getting to work!
Thank you for running. It’s nice to see some young men and women helping our communities. I do however have an issue with your “principles” and “I will stand alone”. Then you say you will listen to everyone. This concerns me. It sounds that you value your principles over what your community as a whole would want. If your principles conflict with those in your community. How would you handle this?
Apologies for the late reply, but to answer your question when I say I stand on principle I mean that I will always stand by doing the right thing for my community. My principles mean doing right by the people of Modesto and if there came a situation where the people had a viewpoint that I disagreed with, then I’d want to get the input of everyone to see where they are coming from, why they feel this way, and what they want to see done. And if we can work together to form a sensible plan to move forward in addressing said issue, then I’m all for it and I would gladly work to see things move forward that the community wants to see, regardless if I agree or disagree with it. At the end of the day it’s just about trying to do the right thing and that’s all I want to do, is to do the right thing for Modesto and it’s people and to work with everyone to see things get done. That’s the principle I stand on.
It has long been a concern of mine that The People seldom know what is at issue, and/or not given enough time or opportunity to weigh in. As well, often meetings are held at disadvantageous times for most people to attend. Please come up with a plan that atleast notifies people, with ample enough time, who may make the added effort to appear to have their concerns raised and addressed were they aware. An awful lot, and I do mean awful, has passed prior to the average citizen even knowing the specifics of agendas on the table. Please be cognizant of the fact that the average citizen does have legitimate reasons for not regularly attending County Supervisory and/or City Council meetings. Please make the effort to get the word out, especially if it is known to have far reaching conseqences for some. Go the extra mile to be transparent. Not everone reads the local newspaper. Many do not even use the internet. I realize what you are up against to share the word. There has got to be a better way. Alliwing time for word of mouth to spread seems most logical. Thank you for your listening ear ahead of the election. Campaign on the fact that you want as many citizens at the table as possible so that you can reach a balanced decision. That sounds refreshing!
Claudia,
Reread what he said. And you might retract your question. He notes that he would stand alone against others to defend the will of the people in District 6, rather than fall in line to help support a cause that does not pertain to his constituents.
What are your priorities and what do you plan to accomplish?