FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - YourCentralValley.com is closely following several state and local races for the November General Election. In the Central Valley, two Republicans are vying for the Fresno City Council District 6 seat. The spot will be left vacant by current Councilmember Garry Bredefield, as he is seeking a seat on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.  Local attorney Roger Bonakdar and U.S. Marine Corps Reservist Nick Richardson are competing to represent Northeast Fresno. Both are Central Valley natives and first-time political candidates. Bonakdar has worked with valley small businesses and families for nearly 20 years. Recently, he assisted former employees in a lawsuit against the now defunct Bitwise Industries. "I'm the only father on the ballot and I'm the only small business owner on the ballot," he said. "The fact that I'm an attorney and a successful one directly translates to being a successful city councilman and adding value for our city."  When asked why he believes he is the right candidate for the job, Bonakdar pointed to his personal and professional experience as reasons why community members should vote for him. "I'm the only candidate on the ballot that's ever paid a property tax bill in Fresno, that's ever carried a payroll, been responsible for somebody else's paycheck. The only candidate that's ever pulled a permit to build anything and understands what it is to grow this town and how to address housing. The only candidate to change diapers and raise kids. These are things that give you real life experience and they directly affect your values and your priorities," he said. One of Bonakdar's top priorities is public safety which he said involves reducing homelessness in the City of Fresno. If elected, Bonakdar said he plans to work with local nonprofits and utilize law enforcement agencies to help allocate resources. "The City of Fresno, job one, has to always be public safety. We have to make sure that our streets are safe, our neighborhoods are safe, that we have first responders like the great people at Fresno Fire and Fresno Police that are supporting me, having the tools to succeed and having enough people out there to effectively protect us," he explained. Bonakdar plans to build upon the recent efforts made by the city council to address homelessness, specifically, the anti-camping ordinance put in place this year. Another issue tied to his push to help valley families feel safer is reducing crime. Bonakdar said he supports Proposition 36 which would undo the limits on felony charges put in place by Proposition 47. Bonakdar explained, "I'm proud to say that I'm endorsed by both [former] Sheriff [Margaret] Mims and Sheriff [John] Zanoni because I understand the limitations that law enforcement is working with. Voting yes on Prop 36 is going to make a meaningful change. It's going to tell people that the smash and grabs are not going to be tolerated. It tells people that Fresno puts public safety as a top priority." Bonakdar said he is also focused on building more reasonable homes which he says will create more jobs. "If you don't have good housing, new job creators aren't going to want to come in because where are these qualified, motivated employees going to live? It's a little bit of a chicken and the egg issue, but if we have better housing, we can bring in and add new both blue collar, white collar and even green collar jobs," Bonakdar explained. On the other side, Richardson worked as a pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps for about a decade before going into the reserves.  He said he never lost his passion to serve.  "I've had to comfort my Marines when another one of them has died. You know, I've had to make life or death decisions in a helicopter carrying in the back sons and daughters of America," he explained. "If you live here, I am here auditioning for a job for you, I am here to answer your call."  Richardson's decision to enter the race for city council involves wanting representation. A realization that came after he moved home in 2022.  "We were about to lose not only the only veteran that we have in city hall and by veteran. The only person on the council who's worn any uniform of any type, police, fire, military, you name it, just one. And he's also the one on a 6-1 city council," he explained. "If you are not the same political party as everybody else in city hall, you just don't have representation anymore as soon as he's gone and I didn't think it was right to stand idly by and let my family and my community lose the voice that so many of us here depend on." While on active duty, Richardson received awards for creating successful suicide prevention and substance abuse counseling programs. He said these achievements give him insight into addressing issues like homelessness.   Like Bonakdar, he supports Proposition 36, but also believes in a community-based approach to helping those without a home called "The Four T's." “It starts with tough love. It goes to triage to treat our system. Just like when you go to the hospital, right? Find out exactly what care this individual needs. It goes to transitional housing. And finally training. They need training. Some of them need substance abuse counseling. Yes, that's very close to my heart. Some of them need mental health resources. Yes, that's very close to my heart," Richardson expressed. Another top issue for Richardson is repairing roads, something he said community members have voiced concerns about. "Drive east or west down Nees or Alluvial between Cedar and Chestnut, and you'd swear you're driving on a cheese grater. And people feel this," he said. Richardson emphasized creating better roads will reduce environmental hazards in District 6. "You can go to every block in this district and find a different concern that's really close to their hearts. Some of it's deteriorating infrastructure from the city, usually the interaction between trees and sidewalk, which don't have a great relationship there," he said. "We've got to be responsible and we're planting trees. We're planting the shade for five, ten, 20 years down the road. We have to be installing things that are going to be reasonable and not eat up the infrastructure. We have to be prioritizing the roads that need it most. And a lot of those roads are up here in District six.”  On affordable housing, Richardson emphasized the importance of having tough conversations with the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. He believes finding a middle ground with officials on the city-county tax-sharing agreement will help bring in more developers. “We can make sure that rent control doesn't come any further in Fresno and we can do things like finally sit down, use a real lifetime negotiator, someone who's had to deal with some of the most complex problems that the military could face to come up with a simple solution,” he said.  Election Day is Nov. 5.