Campaign signs burned. Election violation charges filed. Threats of violence investigated.
Against the backdrop of multiple incidents, it’s only fitting that the drama continues in the Manteca mayor’s race: The final result is going down to the wire.
With 40.3% of the ballots from the county’s eligible voters tallied by Monday, business owner Jacob Naven leads Mayor Gurminder “Gary” Singh by a mere 696 votes out of 21,914 cast, according to the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters. That makes it a 51.6% to 48.4% contest so far.
The results are still preliminary, and Naven is not ready to declare victory.
In a social media post Friday, he expressed optimism about the final outcome but insists he wants to see every vote counted before he makes any proclamation.
“Our democracy is built on the voices of the people, and every one of those voices deserves to be heard,” he wrote. “That principle is far more important than being the first to declare an outcome.”
Singh also embraced a wait-and-see approach. At the time he wrote his own post last week, he was catching up in the vote count.
“Let’s keep the faith, stay positive, and keep hope alive!” Singh wrote to supporters.
The ballot count marks the grand finale in one of the city’s more memorable mayoral elections.
The trouble began in late August, when two of Singh’s large campaign signs were set ablaze. The incidents raised fears that the vandalism may have been an act of hate, given Singh is part of Manteca’s vibrant Indian community.
At the time, Singh expressed pride in his heritage and pledged to not let the apparent acts of arson interfere with his campaign.
“Burning a sign with my name on it will not change how I show up for Manteca,” Singh wrote in a post on social media. Naven condemned the apparent arson and volunteered to help his opponent replace the destroyed signs.
Then came another stunning development.
Singh was charged with two misdemeanor counts in September related to a video by local chiropractor Matthew Alexander. The promotion offered a $50 discount on a first-time visit to Alexander Chiropractic and Wellness for those who vote for Singh.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s office filed charges against Alexander, as well as Singh. In response, Alexander quickly withdrew the offer and said he didn’t know he was violating the law.
The charge against Singh came after he endorsed the discount offer, saying, “It does pay off to vote for your mayor.”
Then, a week before the Nov. 3 general election, a threat against Singh was made. Police said they were taking the threat, made over social media, seriously. It suggested that the mayor should be shot.
Police soon identified a suspect. The person has not been publicly identified, nor have police announced any arrests in the case.
Against that backdrop, both mayoral candidates in Manteca — population about 97,000 — are biding their time until the election results are certified, which the county’s Registrar of Voters has said will not be until after 5 p.m. Nov. 25.
“Manteca’s future is worth getting this right,” Naven said in his post last week.