Sylvia Cantu Sylvia Mendietta Cantu has announced her candidacy for Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 for the March 2010 primary.

Cantu, a native of Kingsville and Texas A&M University Kingsville graduate, is currently a communities in schools case manager at Memorial Middle School.

One of the responsibilities a Justice of the Peace carries is truancy, which especially concerns Cantu.

“I want to help our community with truancy problems,” Cantu said. “By helping our students understand the necessity of staying in school and staying out of trouble, we can accomplish this united as a community. We must put our kids first and implement programs that bring our students off the streets and into warmer, friendlier environments. They need guidance and positive reinforcement.”

Cantu credits her position at Memorial Middle School for teaching her firsthand insight and experience working with student issues as well as students who are at risk of dropping out of school or getting into trouble with the law.

“The issues that are plaguing kids today deserve necessary time and dedication,” Cantu said. “I enter the public serve area resolute and ready to serve Precinct 2 on a full-time basis.”

Cantu is married to Roy Cantu Jr. and has an 11-yearold son, Dante, who attends J.S. Gillett. She has resided in Precinct 2 for over 10 years.

Cantu expressed her warmest regards to serve the citizens of Precinct 2, “Living here in Precinct 2 gives me an inside track to the needs of my community and definitely a deep concern for its people. They are all my neighbors. This is where I grew up, and this is where I am raising my only child.”

“I am passionate about my community especially about the citizens and their children. I am hard-working, extremely spirited, compassionate, fair and conscientious. I have an excellent support-system in my family and friends. So, I would like to take my strengths, all of these, and dedicate myself full-time to getting the job done for the people of Kingsville, Precinct 2.”