Top contenders in Fremont mayoral race trade jabs as contest tightens

FREMONT, Calif. - Accusations and assertions are flying in an East Bay mayoral race, and with three weeks remaining, the contest is tightening.

In Fremont, two entrenched politicians are facing two newcomers. As Election Day draws closer, the barbed attacks grow sharper.

Fremont’s history of manicured streets and tech innovation is seeing a resurgence in the old art of negative politics.

Candidate Raj Salwan said, "Just the toxicity and negativity in this election. I never thought running for mayor would be this complicated."

Salwan is among four candidates seeking the mayoral position in Fremont.

"I pretty much expected there would be a lot of negative attacks against me," said candidate Vinnie Bacon.

Bacon, like Salwon, is a top contender in the race. The two have been trading political attacks.

Bacon has accused Salwan of renting apartments in poor conditions, and points to alleged citations by the Veterinary Medical Board for violations at Salwan’s animal hospital.

Salwan has sent mailers accusing Bacon, while serving on the city council, of missing meetings while voting to raise the council members' pay.

Both candidates have invested $200,000 of their own money into the campaign, partly to fight against negative ads.

Both stress that Election Day will reflect their visions for the future.

"We have much more community-oriented planning. As opposed to real estate coming in developing here, developing there," said Bacon.

"It’s about delivering real solutions that improve the quality of life for all of our residents," said Salwan.

Dr. Corey Cook, a political scientist at Saint Mary's College, said he is always surprised by local elections becoming negative, but admits he should not be.

Cook said the chill of the national election is freezing civility in smaller races that are hotly contested, such as the mayor of the fourth-largest Bay Area city.

"You’re trying to break through a lot of other election noise," said Cook. "But as the race continues to be close as we approach election day, what cuts through is the negativity."

Meanwhile, political novice Rohan Marfatia is pounding the pavement and pressing the flesh in hopes voters, turned off by mudslinging, will turn to him instead.

"Somebody had to step up," he said. "We have trusted career politicians for far too long. We have our own set of problems that are escalating. We don’t have any right to complain until we have tried to solve them."

Running behind the two frontrunners, Marfatia hopes to benefit from their dispute and clear a path to the mayor's office.

KTVU reached out to candidate Hiu Ng for a statement on his vision for Fremont, but there was no response before this article was published.