Space Lizards in Stockton

First a background about Space Lizards;

David Icke, a Brit states that Reptilians are 5–12 feet (1.5–3.7 m) tall, blood-drinking, shape-shifting reptilian humanoids from the Alpha Draconis star system, now hiding in underground bases, are the force behind a worldwide conspiracy against humanity.  Most of the world's leaders are related to these reptilians, including George W. Bush, former President of the United States, and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. A poll of Americans in 2013 by Public Policy Polling indicated that 4% of registered voters believed in David Icke's idea.

I think it is very plausible that Anthony Silva, Mayor of Stockton is in fact one of these space Reptilians for numerous reasons.  His antics have seriously taken up large amounts of time that could have spent solving Stockton’s problems. He also calls for a ‘Strong Mayor” system which would only give more power to him and his space lizard brethren. And most importantly he will not deny being a space lizard. 

Mayor Silva was transformed into being a space lizard by his political consultant Neat Allen Sawyer so perhaps some might argue that Silva is not a space lizard by birth and is not from the Alpha Draconis star system. He still has the inability to deny that he is a space lizard and will dodge the question. Others such as Christina Fugazi and Tony “Finnegan” Mannor have come out publicly and stated that they are in fact human and not space lizards. Why is the Mayor of Stockton not doing the same?

Tony "Finnegan" Mannor on his race for Stockton Mayor.

So what are the origins of the name Finnegan’s and how did you become its proprietor?

My family has some pretty deep and long Irish roots (among other roots - we are Americans after all. Products of the proverbial melting pot.) But our family names don't scream out "Irish Pub". We looked at a variety of names and our dog, who had recently passed away, was named Sully (he was a Boxer named John L. Sullivan Mannor after the famous Irish bare knuckle fighter and mustachioed manly man.) so the names boiled down to Sullivan's and Finnegan's after the poem "Poor Old Michael Finnegan" which I used to sing to my kids to get them to go to sleep. Finnegan's sounded like a fun place to hang out - so we went with that.

I became known as "Tony Finnegan" because some of my patrons knew my first name and would call me Tony. Others, assuming Finnegans was a family name, would call me Mr. Finnegan. Soon, people assumed that was my actual name. It was easier to roll with it than to correct them. Plus, as the place become more popular and it allowed me a certain level of privacy for my family.

We opened Finnegans about 8 years ago. Before that we had purchased a small bar in South Stockton. I was running three other businesses at the time. My wife was pregnant with our first child and after the birth, as her maternity leave was coming to an end, she told me she didn't want to go back to work at her job. Luckily we had some savings and I made the choice to buy this small bar to supplement our income. My wife and my daughter were able to help at the various businesses at times it was convenient for them. After a few years, we were able to close that business and build Finnegans at our first location. It was a bar then. Then after a few years, it became frustrating that we couldn't bring our children into the business. So when the opportunity arose to open the Finnegans Restaurant, we jumped at it. Now my kids can come in, have lunch and do their homework. It's pretty much living the dream. I get to spend all day with my wife and kids and still make a living for them.

Diners, Drive In’s, and Dives recently visited Stockton, were you upset they didn’t feature your bar?
No, not at all. The only thing I am upset about is that this sort of thing happens so rarely that it's newsworthy. Because we are in the restaurant business, we eat at restaurants all the time. Literally almost every day. It's to keep up on what places are doing, technologies, marketing, food trends, specials and all of those sorts of things. But also because the restaurant industry in Stockton is pretty tight knit. All of these servers and cooks and staff come to Finnegan’s. I want to support them as well. So when someone gets a spotlight, we cheer for them. We frequent every one of the restaurants highlighted on Diners Drive-ins and Dives. They deserve the accolades. They are our friends and I would be a crappy friend if I were sour and jealous.

I see that you also are involved with Andermahr & Company can you tell me a little bit about that?

I was. I came into that agency as a Web developer and a Graphic Designer after having worked at a few other agencies and development houses. Having had previous experience as a Project Manager and various Director positions, I soon started writing copy and working on campaigns. I worked my way up. Soon I was traveling all over the country with the CEO pitching clients, presenting campaigns and directing photo shoots. She began to have some health problems and I stepped in to help run some of the day to day operations. I started writing more for industry publications. I was featured in a few magazines. I became a requested speaker at industry conventions on topics like Social Media, Branding, Trend Analysis and Corporate Reputation management. It’s a rush to stand on stage in front of hundreds of industry leaders and six months later see giant names in the banking industry implementing your suggestions.

But I always had my fingers in identity design. It's amazing to be creating something in Stockton and vacationing in San Diego a month later and drive down a street and see your work on the side of a skyscraper or on television. I'll never forget one afternoon, my wife and I were together but not yet married. We were arguing about something silly, as couples do. A commercial I had made (my first) came on the television. It took all the air out of our argument. We just sat and watched it. I love to create things. That and finding ways to make life better for the people around me are the foundation of my passions.

While we had a diverse list of clients a majority of our clients were financial institutions. When the housing bubble burst - it hurt our clients. Many of them weren't involved in subprime lending. But their customers and members were losing their jobs and that affected everything. Finnegan’s was taking off at the same time. I had two other businesses that were doing well. So I made a strategic choice of how I was going to focus my attention. I had job offers from some "names" in the entertainment industry. But I didn't want to leave Stockton. I didn't want to uproot my family on some job I might hate in six months. I knew there was a future for me in Stockton. I still feel like I made the right choice.

What made you decide to run for Mayor?

I got sick of it all. Everything. My wife and kids feel like they can't leave the house without me to protect them. We have to leave the city to see a movie. That's ridiculous. The rest of the state is talking about the great economic recovery and we just don't see it here. Every time I turn around people are telling how great everything is and I am pulling out my hair thinking "Do you people see what I see?!?"

The worst is that when I look at our leaders, I see no ambition to solve these problems. There is a lot of grandstanding. There is a lot of exceptional marketing doublespeak. And coming from someone who was paid well to write marketing doublespeak - I'm qualified to identify that bullshit when I hear it.

I just became exhausted by it all. I have always been a person where, if I need it done and it's not getting done, I will grab the shovel and do it myself
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And here we are. I have picked up my shovel.

For every candidate for Mayor, crime and jobs are the number one issues. What, very specifically would you do to combat the problems?

Crime is a really complex issue. You can't incarcerate your way out of a crime problem. But some people need to be in jail. They just do not want to be part of any sort of civilized society built on mutual respect for each other’s right for peaceful existence. But this is a small percentage of our crime problem
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You have to reach out to kids and give them hope and a road map to success. There are no more "summer jobs" or employment opportunities for teens. So you have to give them something. I want to promote entrepreneurship. We used to call it a "Side Hustle". I sold candy. I was a paperboy. I recycled. I had all sorts of businesses before I even reached high school. I didn't have time to get into too much trouble. I was always working. And that's something for these kids. To know that they have opportunities. They have options beyond what their parents may have had
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I listed a few plans in my Platform Statement to help with both crime and jobs. But if you don't include kids in that equation, then all you are doing is warehousing people who made so many bad choices that they ran out of good choices. And we don't need to be that kind of society.

Our current Mayor, Anthony Silva has been a very divisive figure. What are your thoughts about him?

Is this where we pick on Anthony? No. I can't do that. I went to high school with Anthony. I wave when I see him. I have nothing bad to say about him on a personal level. He has always been kind and respectful towards me. I think he is doing the best he can. I'm just a different person with a different set of skills and a different perspective. I have a plan that I think best addresses peoples needs as Stocktonians. I think it's the best plan for the needs of my family and friends. I think it's the right path for Stockton. I have never heard him say anything like what I propose. And, as you say, I'm not a terribly divisive person. I think i bring a different type of leadership that breeds cooperation.

Do you think we should change the city charter to have a strong mayor system?

I find our current system fascinating. I understand why it was done. It makes a certain level of sense. It protects the Mayor and City Council for being "too responsible". They can always blame the city manager when things get dicey or unpopular. I think either way the vote goes on that - I can work with it. Like I said, it will just take some cooperation.

Recently there have been a few town hall type meetings about Chloramines in Stockton water, do you think the public should be concerned or is it a matter of being an unnecessary health scare.

I think the concerns are legitimate BUT also I think they may be a little overblown. I think the city leaders made some poor choices when they chose not to include a carbon filter system in the new water plant. I don't want ammonia in my water or my kids inhaling it in the shower. But I wonder if what they are getting from the water is any worse than what they get from the valley air or spending all summer in the pool or swimming in the delta. I just don't know. I think that if there is an option to remove the ammonia - let's do that. That sounds like a good idea no matter what.

What does the phrase “Stockton Strong” mean to you?

Are you asking me as a marketer or a candidate? As a marketer, I think it's weak. It a trite turn of phrase that has been used a hundred ways before Stockton hashtagged it. It's like when the "Got Milk" campaign blew up. All of the sudden we have "Got Whatever" everywhere. It was a joke we would kick around in conceptual meetings. Everyone would sit around with their campaign ideas and inevitably someone would say something like "OK, I was saving the best for last. This one is a game change folks! Fold down your trays and put your chairs in their upright position and hold onto your ass with both hands. Are you ready? Picture this...'Got Home Loans?' BOOM! Mind blown right? Right?" and everyone would groan and roll their eyes.

That's what it is to me.

As a candidate, I appreciate the sentiment. But I don't want our people to have to be strong. That means we are taking a shot to the jaw and we keep getting up. Be strong? Why should I have to be strong, city leaders? Why don't you be strong and make the quality of life in Stockton better? Instead of Stockton Strong, I want #StocktonHasJobs #StocktonHasCops #StocktonIsKickingAss.

How would you address the issues with Police retention in Stockton?

I have a tendency to look at everything from a business mindset. I would not train a bartender, cook or server if I thought that I would lose them to a competitor the minute I finish paying them to train.
We need to work on making compensation packages competitive. Not excessive but competitive. Some of the officers who have left, are commuting less than 30 each way but making almost $1,000 a month more than they could in Stockton. How do we compete with that? We need to find balance. I think bringing on officers, lightening the workload, fixing the Healthcare package and a few other small things will go a long way. Otherwise we will keep paying to train officers for other cities and agencies and we can't afford to do that.

As barkeeper what is the go to drink for you and for others? 

Since I have become a restaurateur, I rarely get to drink anymore. I need to be clear headed to be able to hop in my car at any time, 24 hours a day, and drive to Finnegan’s to fix anything that might break. I can't do that if I am having a nice Irish Whiskey at home. People don't usually know that if I, as a licensee, get a DUI, and it is a felony, I could lose my liquor license. That would put my entire staff out of a job. I can't take that risk with their livelihood just because I want a drink. Plus, how would I explain to my kids that I got arrested for drinking and driving? They need to see that I am making good choices because I love them.

If I want to have a cocktail, there is a process. I almost never drink at Finnegan’s and absolutely NEVER drink when I am working. I am afraid of doing something stupid that would cause me to lose the respect of my staff. So when I decide that I want to drink, usually it's out of town. Then I am usually with my wife when I drink, because who else would I want to relax and have a cocktail with other than my wife? So that means I would have to be on some sort of vacation. And I haven't had one of those in years!

But drinking on vacation is how we ended up with two kids. And I don't think we are looking to have a third. So, when I drink - I drink cautiously. Lol!