After pursuing and obtaining a career in law and public administration, Darin DuPont has now set his eyes on local government leadership.
The 28-year-old attorney is determined to utilize his government-related training and extensive knowledge and experience with California law to help guide Merced forward in such an important and sensitive time.
“I think Merced is at a crossroads right now of who we can be,” DuPont told the Times. “We are at a very good spot to keep on growing and keep on being a light in the Central Valley. But we also have to put the work in. And I am willing, and I think I am able to put that work in to make sure that Merced is the best community in the Central Valley. I have always wanted to serve the community, that is why I came back to Merced.”
He added, “I think the citizens of District 1 should vote for me, and choose me in this election, because I have the passion, the hunger, and the desire to advocate for southeast Merced and District 1, and I want to help in that foresight and vision of the future. My wife and I are expecting our first child, and the decisions the city makes now will impact her life and will continue to impact her life for a long time. And so, I have that in the forefront of my mind when I am making decisions, or want to make decisions, or when I want to represent the community. Because it is happening to all of the individuals that are in District 1. I’m there to advocate, there to bring opportunities, there to grow with them because I believe that District 1 is the future of Merced.”
District 1 is made up of numerous neighborhoods south of Yosemite Parkway and Highway 99, and east of G Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. On the ballot in this year’s General Election that culminates on Nov. 5, DuPont is facing only one other opponent, as the current District 1 City Councilman Jesse Ornelas has chosen to not seek re-election. The other candidate is Walter Smith, a longtime sports coach and city planning commissioner.
When discussing the state of the district, DuPont had this to say: “District 1 is a growing district that is going to be a key player in the future of Merced. While it is still growing, there are some key issues that we need to focus on to ensure that we are maintaining and repairing the older infrastructure we have in District 1 as well. … I get exited when thinking about the future of District 1, and that is because of Campus Parkway. When people come off of the 99 onto Campus Parkway, and are heading to the UC, the first area in the City of Merced that they area going to experience is District 1. And so, we have to be mindful of that when we are planning for growth and planning the future of Merced, because we want students to come here, we want families to grow here, we want people to be a part of the community.”
DuPont was born and raised in Atwater, and thus has been heavily involved in the Merced community his whole life. While he has spent a good amount of time in other, completely different places, like D.C. and Sacramento, he believes that there is something special about this community that drew him and his wife to settle down here.
“My wife and I, we love being in Merced.” said the candidate. “There are a lot of aspects like friends, family, and community that are special to Merced. There are a lot of community events that we go to, where people are just really enjoying life and are really personable.”
Not so long ago, DuPont attended Buhach Colony High School in Atwater, and moved on to Merced College briefly before transferring to George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. At GMU, he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration, with a concentration on Public Policy. After that, he attended Law School at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Lawin Sacramento, where he had two major concentrations, those being: Water & Environmental, in addition to Capital Lawyering. Being a resident of the valley, water and environmental concerns are often a top priority and constantly relevant, which inspired this choice. And capital lawyering is a special focus which encompasses public municipal interests and government agency law.
When speaking about his education, he directly compared his studies to the work done in the City Council, saying, “Public Administration is a degree that is similar to that of a city manager or a county executive officer. So, you learn about not only budgets and how government runs and works, but you also learn about economics and business. And a lot of that plays into everything you do within a government organization and what you can and cannot do because sometimes these government organizations have limitations.”
He later added, “I am an attorney now, and I practice civil law here in town. I think it makes me even more qualified to be in this position because I understand how the rules of law work and I can help navigate those issues and advocate for the community. These are all skills that I learned going to law school and that I use everyday.”
Another thing that he believes makes him a good choice for the role is that he has served on a number of boards across a variety of fields.
“Even at a young age, I have served on boards. Right out of High School, while I was attending Merced College, I served on the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Commission as a youth commissioner. … I currently serve on Education Foundation Boards and I serve on the Jail Ministry Board for Merced County. So, I have lot of different experience in the community serving on various boards and trying to solve problems for the community.”
Notably, if elected, he would be the youngest person on the council at 28 years of age. He points to this as another one of the benefits of his campaign as he will be able to bring in “fresh and new ideas” and better connect with the youth in the community.