Six want to lead Riverbank, a city in turmoil

RIVERBANK -- This city has taken more than its share of hits this year.

Two mayors resigned to accept jobs out of the area. A recall drive against Councilman Dave White and his grandson, fellow councilman Jesse James White, failed but proved divisive.

The county grand jury called for Jesse James White to resign because he wasn't a registered voter when he became a council candidate in November. He's still on the council because the city said it doesn't have the authority to remove him.

And the county Board of Supervisors weighed in during July when some of its members criticized the city's Re-development Agency board for, among other actions, voting to spend $1.7 million to buy the Del Rio Theater in 2006, then voting to raze it this year after a structural analysis done after the purchase deemed it unsafe.

It's against this backdrop that city voters will go to the polls Nov. 3 to pick a mayor among six candidates. Some of the names are familiar, such as Dave White and former council members Virginia Madueño and Paul Gutierrez. The field includes former Riverbank Unified School District trustee Mark Ensley and political newcomers Larry King and Richard O'Brien.

Ensley, a shop superintendent with an Oakdale steel fabricator, points to the botched purchase of the Del Rio as one reason he's running.

"That should have never happened," he said. "If you're going to buy something, you need to thoroughly go through it. At least when we were on the school board, we had someone come in and evaluate something before we did it."

The city had hoped to renovate the downtown landmark. It still is standing while the city considers whether there are other options than the wrecking ball.

He's also concerned about Riverbank's record on other projects, such as its downtown beautification. Although many are pleased with the end result, the two-year, approximately $9 million project took longer than expected, to the dismay of downtown merchants, who lost business while the streets were torn up.

"A lot of people are complaining city government is not effective anymore," said Ensley, who served on the school board from 2001 to 2005. "There's a lot of little things, but they add up to something big; you start seeing a pattern of behavior."

Need to move forward

King said he has been thinking of running for the City Council or mayor for the past five years but waited until his business, Oakdale Hearing Aid Co., was more established so he could have more control of his schedule.

He said he's troubled by the recent headlines about discord on the council and city projects costing too much or taking too long.

"Maybe with some new leadership it would quiet down," he said. "We just need to move forward. I think it's probably easier to make changes from within than without, so I'm running."

King has overcome adversity before. He and his wife filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection in 1994; the bankruptcy was discharged in 1998, according to public records.

King said he and his wife were forced to file because he could not work for 1½ years after three major surgeries. "Health issues happen," he said. "We did not try to hide from anyone. We paid everyone who filed a claim."

As mayor, he said, the projects he would pursue include having the city look at using solar energy to power its facilities. King also said he would work to improve communications between residents and the council.

Madueño said she has spent two nights a week and every Saturday for the past few weeks walking through neighborhoods and knocking on voters' doors.