Lodi News-Sentinel - Feisty Tony Amador Taking on Moderate Jerry McNerney

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By Rich Hanner

Tony Amador is nothing if not determined.

The former U.S. Marshal and Lodi resident hit the political scene in 2010, running against fellow Republicans for the right to take on Democratic Rep. Jerry McNerney.

Amador came in third in the primary. Undaunted, several months later he sought a seat on the Lodi City Council. That bid was unsuccessful, but Amador kept coming and kept campaigning, challenging Democrat Richard Pan for the state Assembly in 2012. Pan won that race handily.

Now, Amador faces McNerney, who was first elected to Congress in 2006. McNerney easily weathered a well-financed campaign two years ago by Lodi resident Ricky Gill.

McNerney enjoys a huge advantage over Amador in fundraising (McNerney raised $1.1 million from Jan. 1 2013 through Sept. 30, 2014; Amador raised $55,000).

And he represents a district that tilts heavily Democratic (45 percent) versus Republican (32 percent).

Amador, though, is unfazed. He is outspoken and aggressive in his criticism of McNerney, contending the incumbent is largely ineffectual.

"He doesn't write any laws. He rides the coattails. It is easy to be a co-author. You just jump on the bandwagon," Amador said.

The 9th Congressional District centers on San Joaquin County, but veers westward and includes the cities of Antioch and Brentwood. It is a district with its share of acute challenges, notably high crime and unemployment in Stockton and Antioch.

Amador describes himself as a can-do leader, citing experience that ranges from being a Los Angeles police officer to serving as chief of the California Youth Authority and a U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of California. He retired from the marshal's post in 2009.

His breadth of experience, he contends, will allow him to do better than McNerney in reducing crime and increasing jobs.

"I know how to work at all levels of government to get things done," he said. As a member of Congress, he said he would explore establishing task forces to include federal, state and local law enforcement officers to go after gangs and drug traffickers.

He'd push for tax incentives to lure more industry to the 9th District.

"You need people to feel secure in their own homes. At the same time, you have to build incentives for industry to move here. You can't just focus on one and ignore the other. They go together."

As evidence of what he maintains is McNerney's lack of clout, Amador cites a proposed veterans center, long touted by McNerney, being downgraded as a priority project by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"He just doesn't have the political muscle to get things done," he said.

With concerns rising over the spread of the Ebola virus, Amador this week called for clamping strong travel restrictions on flights from the most affected countries. He also called for the ouster of Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control -- and challenged McNerney to push for Frieden's firing, too.

McNerney declined, at least for now.

"I can't see calling for a change without having sufficient evidence of whether he is competent or not. That might just cause more disruption than it is worth," McNerney said.

McNerney acknowledged, though, that the administration and CDC response, early-on, "was not what it should have been."

In coming days he plans to reach out to all the hospitals in the 9th District to assure that they have adequate planning and communications with the CDC and other federal agencies.

On both political and personal levels, Amador and McNerney are a study in contrasts. McNerney is deliberate and somewhat soft-spoken. He likes to study issues carefully before taking positions.

He concedes that, in terms of producing legislation, his first term was a time of learning his way around the corridors of power. That, he says, is typical of rookie members of Congress.

His most recent terms, though, have been productive, he said. He's been deeply involved in creating legislation, especially as it relates to veterans, he said, and he has helped craft bills to help veterans find jobs, reduce the backlog of appeals for veterans benefits claims and improve medical care for veterans.

He's secured federal grants for local law enforcement, including money for the city of Stockton's Shotspotter system, which uses sophisticated acoustic technology to track gunfire.

He's also firmly against the so-called Twin Tunnels project, which would pipe water around the Delta and which is roundly opposed by area farmers.

The San Joaquin Valley faces substantial unemployment and crime problems that won't be solved quickly, he said. He's proposed that President Obama create a special multi-agency task force and intensify the war on crime in the region.

Though he is disappointed the VA has lowered the priority for the proposed center in French Camp, he is not giving up. The VA has purchased land for the center and wants to conduct further seismic studies.

Moreover, McNerney said he's been a moderating political voice, quick to listen and reluctant to pontificate.

He notes that in Washington, he's joined a group of politicians and staffers who play paddleball, sort of a scaled-down version of tennis.

"I've become friends with a number of Republicans through our time on the court," he said. "I'd like to see more bipartisan cooperation, not less."

McNerney, who holds a doctorate in mathematics, worked as an engineering consultant and contractor before being elected to Congress.

His demeanor is more professorial than pugilistic.

"I like to take a careful look," he said. "I'm not someone who likes to shoot their mouth off."

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