Last night, the City Council convened a special meeting to appoint a replacement for the vacant district 5 seat. You probably know that it ended in impasse and a new election will be held.
There were three candidates vying for the position, all were very qualified with different background, strength and skill levels.
After candidate presentations and public comment and in the midst of deliberation, candidate Chris Mariscotti announced that it was his considered decision to withdraw his candidacy for the open seat. With humility and sincerity, he explained that, in light of the changing demographics in district 5 at this point in time, the other two candidates were more in touch and in tune with and representative of the constituency.
It was an act of personal conviction and political responsibility that almost never occurs in the political sphere where electoral appeal and power are the order of the day.
Simply put, it was a class act all the way. In closing, there is a place for Mr. Mariscotti somewhere in Madera government and the eventual council member will do well to consider him as his/her appointment to the planning commission.
— Baldwin Moy,
Madera