BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Five candidates are running for Bakersfield's Ward 3 city council seat, and Seth Hewett says he's in the race to improve city spending and public safety.
Hewett is one of five candidates in the Ward 3 race, alongside Kathryn Halling, Juan Carlos Llamas, Cassie Bittle, and Pedro Naveiras.
"I want to empower the citizens of Bakersfield to - even without any background in financial literacy to be able to ask questions of their city 24/7 - almost like you're auditing your own city," Hewett said.
Hewett wants to create an AI-powered budget transparency portal — a website where residents could look up how the city is spending their tax dollars and track what council members are voting on.
"I want to make sure that everyone in Bakersfield understands where their money is going because if you don't have confidence within your own constituency then you're going to have a lot of people who are anxious about what tomorrow is going to look like," Hewett said.
A sixth-generation Bakersfield native, Hewett has grown up watching his city evolve around him. Now 26 years old, he has one message for young voters.
"At the end of the day, if I don't get the votes, well, I sure hope that I'm stirring the hearts of the young people to actually see their city as something that they can participate in," Hewett said.
The four remaining candidates said they are running for three main reasons: bring transparency to fiscal spending, curb homelessness, and improve public safety.
Full interviews with all five candidates are available on the 23ABC website and the 23ABC app.
Residents have a little more than one month to decide who to vote for in Ward 3. The last day to drop off ballots is November 3.
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