When November rolls back around, Lathrop residents will go to the ballot box and select a mayor from the list of candidates that for the first time in more than a decade will not include the name Sonny Dhaliwal.

Paul Akinjo, Lathrop’s current Vice Mayor, hopes it will be him.

And he has the backing of some of the people that literally made Lathrop what it is today.

This week Akinjo announced that Bennie Gatto – part of the founding city council of Lathrop, and the namesake of the city’s high school football field – had endorsed him in his run to replace the city’s longest-serving mayor and to continue to bring the vision that was laid by the city’s founders to life.

“It is highly important to them (the Founding Fathers) that I have consistently worked hard to promote the sensible growth of the City of Lathrop to the build-up of River Islands was my first major assignment as a council member, followed by Stanford Crossing and the hard work it took to have our own Lathrop Police Department,” Akinjo said. “We also have the Animal Shelter, the promotion of art and culture as a component of Lathrop’s growth as well.

“The Generation Center to house the Library was an execution of the Founding Father’s vision which I have embraced and made my own.”

With Dhaliwal throwing his hat into the ring for the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors in a race that is shaping up as a battle of South County political heavyweights – he will face off against former Manteca Mayor Steve DeBrum in the contest – the door is now open for the first time in more than a decade for somebody else to be at the helm of the City of Lathrop.

During Dhaliwal’s tenure – which overlapped significantly with Akinjo’s tenure after he joined the council in 2012 – Lathrop has gone from facing budget deficits that reached as high as $16 million during the economic housing crisis to being one of the most fiscally solvent cities in the California. Lathrop has also become one of the fastest growing cities in California thanks to its ongoing residential growth boom and its prime location which makes it attractive for logistics operations.

It was during this period of time that Lathrop began adding the sorts of retail and business offerings necessary to sustain a growing city, and Akinjo said that maintaining that environment is something that he sees as vitally important for the city’s economic future.

“The sustainability and safety of our residents in Lathrop and a sound business approach as always been my focus,” Akinjo said. “Tesla and the growth of businesses around the Save Mart and Target marketplace area are just a few examples of my involvement in this.

“As the City continues to grow, so also is the infrastructure needed to support the growth process. Water storage for the future is a consideration, while our roads, bridges, and the interchange on Louise Avenue and Roth Road are now major projects in our arsenal to secure manufacturing and technological incubation for Lathrop and surrounding areas.”

Gatto was part of the first ever Lathrop City Council elected by residents upon the formation of the city in 1989 and held that position through 1996. Gatto served on the first council with Mac Freeman, another of the city’s founding fathers who recently passed away.

To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com.