Two farmers with experience on the Del Puerto Health Care District board became the final candidates to qualify to seek board seats this year before the deadline Friday, Aug. 10.

Past board president Ed Maring filed nomination papers Friday, Aug. 10, to run for a four-year seat, and incumbent Fred Beltran filed papers the day before to retain his two-year seat.

Board President Anne Stokman and Trustee Jeannette Kessler, both of whose four-year terms end in December, filed papers in July.

Del Puerto Health Care District serves Patterson, Crows Landing, Grayson, Westley and the developing community of Diablo Grande. The district’s mission is to provide health care to residents of Stanislaus County’s West Side by running the Del Puerto Health Center and Patterson District Ambulance Co.

Maring served on the former Del Puerto Hospital Board before the founding of Del Puerto Health District when the hospital closed in 1998. He has more than 30 years of experience with both entities and was board president for most of those years. Though he lost his bid for a board seat in 2010, he said he is ready to serve.

“Ever since I left the board, I think the health care district board has been having trouble finding their way and that they lack a strong leader,” Maring said.

Beltran is running uncontested for the sole two-year position.

“I just wanted to serve the community another two years,” he said.

Stokman, a registered nurse, is serving her first four-year term. Kessler, a former Patterson branch manager of Tri Counties Bank, joined the board in July 2003.

Contact Maddy Houk at 892-6187, ext. 22, or maddy@pattersonirrigator.com.