At the age of 23, it’s no surprise that Roberto Montes is a newcomer to the scene of Atwater politics.
It wasn’t that long ago when he received a college degree just down the road at Stan State and then started his journey toward a meaningful career.
While he has many friends in the area, and enjoys going to events organized by groups such as Old Town Atwater and the local Runners Club, he is dismayed by a lack of opportunities for young adults like himself.
“A lot of people my age, friends, they don’t really see a future in their hometown,” Montes says. “If they’re seeing a future, it’s not going to be here. And a lot of them, I would say, have apathy when it comes to local government. I think that’s also a problem with just how it is day to day. Like, a person my age will go on their phone, and they see how horrendous or out of control the rest of the government seems, and they just have apathy toward it. I think that extends to small governance, too.”
That situation, and the idea of creating change through new, younger leadership with fresh ideas have inspired Montes to run for the city’s top elected post, and challenge incumbent Mayor Mike Nelson in this year’s General Election.
Interestingly, the mayor’s race is the only competitive City Council race in Atwater this time around. Two other Council seats — Districts 3 and 4 — have solo candidates who are running unopposed.
Montes is a native of Atwater and grew up the youngest of three brothers in a family with a single mother. He went to local schools, including Atwater High, before attending Merced College, and then transferring to California State University Stanislaus. He achieved a BA degree in English. He is also a talented artist, and even gave his electric car a custom paint job that also serves as a mobile campaign sign for his mayoral run.
While he is pursuing civil service at the moment, he is also considering law school at some point. However, the reality is he has to work right now for a living. At this point, he is living at home with his mother, and commuting to Modesto for a Monday-to-Friday, 8-to-5 job at Valley Agronomics, a large agricultural supply shop.
“I drive a forklift and a loader sometimes, and I make big batch orders of liquid fertilizer. We fill those truck trailers. … I’m outside all day, just moving stuff. It’s pretty busy … Just got to do what I got to do.”
The young candidate says he tries to make time to campaign, knock on doors, put up signs and attend local events like the recent Fall Festival at Ralston Park.
“I want to be involved in my community,” Montes says. “I want to make sure that the place where I grew up becomes a place more people my age can have pride in.”
He admits he has a lot to learn about the ins and outs of local government, but he also sees room for improvement at City Hall. He said the first time he experienced a City Council meeting, he found it a bit boring.
“I think there is an energy that can be brought in to excite more people,” he says. “I would like to see people my age show up at City Council meetings. … You just regularly see the same people, and obviously, it’s not really anyone from my age group. I would like younger people to go out there, and make a public comment because I think it does have an impact. … I feel like a lot of people my age just don’t care.”
Montes says many of his friends and acquaintances don’t even know who the mayor is, let alone the other Council members. Nevertheless, Montes says he is meeting a lot of new people, learning about local government and the election process, and getting excited about everything because he believes he has a chance to win.
“I hope young people vote,” he says. “Obviously, I can’t just target the same people that my opponent is targeting. Not that I’m not, but also I want people my age to care. And I have my own goals with this … and they’re not just to win. There’s bigger things to me than just winning.
“My main priority is investing in the youth, and making sure that they are getting opportunities. And from there, I will pursue other pathways such as community beautification. You drive through Merced, and there’s a lot of things being done by the community — murals on the side of buildings and electrical boxes on the streets that have been painted. I don’t see why we can’t get young people who are part of FFA to start planting things around Atwater. We can start painting certain sections of Atwater, including the Community Center that’s just a boring brown building. … I have driven by other community center buildings where they have all these tiles that are painted by little kids. That’s like a common thing.
“I feel like there’s just a lot of creativity lacking [in Atwater], and there’s a lot of taste that’s lacking. But I want to show a lot of passion for Atwater. And I think there’s a lot of power that comes with being a mayor or a district representative. … and there could be a more proactive sense of connection toward the people that are in your town.”
The challenger says residents of Atwater have been receptive and supportive of his campaign. “They see a young person running for mayor as admirable, or they respect that.”
When asked what he is telling voters about himself, Montes replies: “I have a lot to learn, but I am a hungry, ambitious person that really wants people my age to succeed, and I want to make sure that they’re getting opportunities that I might have missed out on, or just weren’t there when I was growing up. I want them to have enough pride in their town enough to at least vote.”