Next month, Newman residents may have a new mayor and a new councilmember on city council with early voting already underway for the Nov. 3 election.
Five candidates are running for positions in city leadership, with two in the mayoral race and three for two city council seats.
Mayor Casey Graham is seeking a four term in his current role as he faces a challenger in councilmember Matthew Harden. Councilmembers Scott Ball and Shane Tomlinson look to remain on the board while candidate Brett Short looks to become a council member.
The Westside Connect spoke with each candidate to talk about the issues they noticed in the city, what they want to focus on and why residents should vote for them.
Casey Graham
Prior to becoming Newman mayor, Graham grew up in San Antonio Valley before moving to Patterson upon entering junior high. Upon graduating from Patterson High School, Graham’s first job was Comcast Cable, where he rose to an upper management role. Around that same time, he was a volunteer firefighter for the Patterson Fire Department.
Following 9/11, Graham enlisted in the United States military where he joined the reserves and became a combat veteran. Prior to his deployment to Iraq, he and his wife moved to Newman for her to be closer to her family.
After the military, Graham pursued a career in law enforcement and became a police officer for the Modesto Police Department. He’s currently in his 19th year with the department.
In 2014, Graham was elected as a council member for the City Council, where he remained there for six years. Graham said he was approached by former councilmember Donald Hutchins, who told him that he’ll be a great fit as a council member.
Despite being an elected official, Graham said he never saw himself as a politician, but as someone who wants to “be involved in my community and to give back.”
After six years as a council member, Graham decided to run for Newman Mayor. He was elected to the role after defeating Timothy Parker in a two-person race where he received 57.4% of the votes. He’s the successor to former mayor Bob Martina, who did not seek re-election.
In his time as mayor, some of the things the city has done include starting the Newman Environmental Wetland System (NEWS), approving construction to rebuild Jansen Road and a 2022 new property tax agreement with Stanislaus County that will allocate more tax revenues into the city.
If reelected for another term, Graham said he wants to focus on improving the city’s roads, maintaining the city’s slow growth and growing the city’s downtown area.
“If you feel like I’ve done a good job up to this point, please let me do two more years and I’ll keep on doing what I’ve been doing,” Graham said.
Matthew Harden
Growing up in Delhi, Harden was raised by a blue-collar family as his parents worked in the construction industry. That work ethic eventually led to becoming the first college graduate in his family, graduating from Devry University with an associate’s and bachelor’s degrees and from Kelly Graduate School of Management with two master’s degrees. The two master’s degrees are in finance and business administration.
In March 2012, Harden and wife moved to Newman as they were expecting their first child around that time. With his wife also being from the city, Harden said he found Newman to be a great area to raise their family.
With his kids growing and attending school, Harden got involved with the Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District’s School Site Council where he was the president. During his time on the council, he advocated for safety near the school sites.
His time on the council led him to running for a spot on the Newman City Council in 2024, where he, along with Gisel Pimentel, was elected to become a council member.
During his time as council member, Harden said he has spoken with Stanislaus County Supervisor Chance Condit on getting services for aging residents and for those with disabilities.
“I’ve really wanted to advocate that we drive accountability for the city and for the council to hear people’s concerns and take action,” Harden said. “I’m a parent and a community member that [wants] to become a voice for the community.”
Now running for Newman mayor, Harden said he felt that there has been enough progress made within the city in the past couple of years. The cost of utility rates for low-income families, the city’s infrastructure and its roadways are some of the issues Harden wants to focus on, he said.
“I want to make [a] change for the good,” Harden said. “We’re a small town culture that can come together as a close-knit community.”
Scott Ball
Early in life, Ball moved through various cities in the Central Valley, including Bakersfield, Visalia, Ripon, Manteca and Modesto.
Upon graduating high school, Ball attended Modesto Junior College where he majored in English to pursue a career as an English teacher. He also met his wife, who was also attending MJC.
He later transferred to Sacramento State, where his career path would change. In his final year, Ball said he took a class to learn more about law enforcement and it caught his attention to the point he pursued a different career.
“I thought, ‘Well, teaching sounds fun, but this other opportunity sounds fun and a little more exciting [with] really good benefits,” Ball said with a smile. “Pretty much just went from wanting to be an English teacher to being a probation officer.”
His first job out of college was probation officer for juvenile hall at the Sacramento County Probation Department for seven years. Upon raising their first child, Ball and his family moved back to Newman. He transferred to the Stanislaus County Probation Department and became a field service officer and division director for 12 years.
He later became a chief probation officer in Merced County in 2010 and retired in 2016.
In 2022, Ball was elected to Newman City Council in an atypical manner. Following the resignation of former Councilmember Nick Candea, the city council voted to leave his seat unfilled until the midterm election.
With Ball and Tomlinson being the only individuals who completed the paperwork to become a council member, the City Council voted for both to appoint the two candidates in August 2022. Ball and Tomlinson were sworn in as council members in December 2022.
Ball said road repairs and loss of local businesses are some of the issues he sees in Newman. If reelected, he hopes to strengthen the city’s relationship with NCLUSD by assisting them and finding a “common ground.”
“I’m here for the community. I’m not here for me,” Ball said. “I want to be able to have close relationships with everyone in the community.”
Shane Tomlinson
Despite being born and raised in San Jose, Tomlinson and his family moved to Newman in 2005, where he began working as a government contractor.
Tomlinson was appointed to the city council in 2022 after he and Ball were the only individuals who completed their paperwork to run for a council member seat. So far, Tomlinson said his time as a council member has been a “wonderful experience” to get involved with local communities.
Now running to remain on his seat, Tomlinson said aging infrastructure, rising housing costs, and road repairs are some of the ongoing issues in Newman. If reelected, he wants to focus on road repairs, expanding attainable housing, supporting local businesses, maintaining safe neighborhoods and managing a budget to protect taxpayers.
“I am committed to listening to residents and making decisions that strengthen our community for everyone,” Tomlinson said.
Brett Short
Born and raised in Modesto, Short began his career in law enforcement with the Newman Police Department in 2001. He worked through several positions such as a police officer, field training officer, detective, sergeant and lieutenant. On September 1, he retired after 25 years with the Police Department.
Upon working in the city, Short met his wife a year into his career.
His day-to-day is much different to what he’s been accustomed to. Short said he’s been “starting to get bored” as his tasks are grocery shopping, washing the dishes, doing laundry and yard work.
Now retired from law enforcement, Short is running to become a council member with a focus on public safety, he said. “Public safety is a big thing for me since I’ve spent most of my adult life in public safety,” Short said.
For Short, improvements to the city's infrastructure and roads and commercial development are some of the matters that need to be addressed.
“I think that I could help streamline some things around here and get things taken care of a little more expeditiously,” Short said.
