It’s almost that time again, time to vote.

On Tuesday, March 5, San Joaquin County residents will be voting during the primary for who will represent Stockton as its mayor. Six candidates are on the ballot.

Some of the mayor’s duties include making recommendations to the City Council on policy and programs that require the panel to vote, or to appoint people to advisory boards and ad hoc committees.

The candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote in the primary election wins the race outright. If no candidate cracks the 50%-plus-one-vote threshold, there will be a runoff election between the top two vote-getters in November.

The elected candidate assumes office on Jan. 1 following the General Election.

As of January 2021, the mayor’s salary is $90,480 annually or $7,540 monthly. Mayors have a limit of two terms, according to the city website.

Kevin Lincoln is currently the mayor. He was elected in November 2020 and took office in 2021. He is now running for Congress.

Lincoln is in the race for California’s 9th Congressional District. He will face U.S. Rep. Josh Harder who is running for reelection representing San Joaquin County. Other candidates include businessman Khalid Jeffrey Jafri and coach John McBride.

Here is a rundown of Stockton’s mayoral candidates:

Shakeel Ahmad

Jesus Andrade

• Occupation: Nonprofit director

• Campaign platform: Andrade’s priorities are street safety and neighborhood security, homelessness, increasing housing, improving the quality of life, economic development, and giving youth a brighter future.

Christina Fugazi

Jessica Velez

• Occupation: Businessowner

• Campaign platform: Velez said his priorities are “crime and punishment,” solutions to homelessness, and “reimagining Stockton.”

Dan Wright

• Occupation: Educator and councilmember

• Campaign platform: Wright’s priorities are “fighting corruption and incompetence,” tackling the housing crisis, and keeping families safe.

Tom Patti

• Occupation: Businessman and county supervisor

• Campaign platform: Patti’s priorities are to “reduce the impact of homelessness, ensure the safety of our families, boost job creation, create more opportunity, increase pay, and make City Hall more responsive to issues that affect our daily lives.”

Primary election forums are happening in Stockton through February where you can hear more from the candidates.

For more information on elections visit stocktonca.gov.

The Record will publish voter guides for the following local elections: Stockton City Council, Stockton Mayor, San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors and San Joaquin County Board of Education over the next four days.

Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton mayor candidates in 2024: A voter guide