Modesto City Council members' appointment calendars show interests

Mayor's work hours pay him less than the minimum wage

By ADAM ASHTON
aashton@modbee.com

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Being Modesto's mayor pays less than minimum wage.

Mayor Jim Ridenour's appointment calendar shows a nonstop schedule typically beginning with a 7 a.m. breakfast meeting and ending with a nighttime public event.

Those hours net Ridenour $800 a month, a wage that could increase this year following a review by five people appointed to analyze Modesto City Council salaries. The state minimum wage is about $1,380 a month.

Ridenour supported the February ballot measure that created the salary-setting commission, but he wouldn't say what kind of pay his office should earn.

He said Modesto is too complex for a part-time mayor.

"You have to put the time in if you're going to be mayor," he said. "We need to be there."

Retired Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Hugh Rose III, the pay commission's chairman, said council salaries should be set "so people can afford to do the job."

Dave Thomas, a taxpayer advocate on the commission, agreed. Still, Thomas said, the maximum council salaries established in the ballot measure are too high. They are $88,800 a year for the mayor and $26,800 a year for council members.

The salary report is due by March 28 and will be followed by public meetings March 31 and April 10 in City Hall. The council in May is expected to vote on accepting the commission's recommendations or taking a lower wage.

Ridenour's schedule emerged as the busiest among his colleagues on the City Council, according to documents The Bee obtained through a California Public Records Act request. All of them earn the same wage as the mayor.

Ridenour's calendar reflects his priorities, showing an emphasis on regional planning and economic development.

He had a monthly meeting with other mayors in Stanislaus County, as well as frequent meetings on transportation with the Stanislaus Council of Governments and economic development with the Stanislaus Business Development and Workforce Alliance.

Ridenour's most frequent visitors from government include Stanislaus County Supervisor Jeff Grover, Modesto City Councilman Brad Hawn and recently retired City Manager George Britton.

A look at council members' schedules

The mayor closely followed city administration, attending weekly meetings with city department leaders and working on special projects such as buying an emergency dispatch system for the Police and Fire departments.

From private industry, Ridenour held occasional meetings with longtime friend Steve Madison, executive vice president of the Central California Building Industry Association. He had a number of sessions on sewer rates with industrial businesses and regular meetings on the progress of construction at the Kaiser hospital.

Schedules for other council members likewise reveal their interests.

Hawn held weekly meetings with city employees on utility rates. He leads the council's Finance Committee, which has been working on ways to pay for improvements to the city's sewers, storm drains and water lines.

His calendar also shows his involvement in Modesto's arts scene, such as interviews with candidates who applied to lead the Modesto Symphony and working meetings on a proposed Modesto entertainment law.

Councilwoman Janice Keating took the most appointments on growth. She oversees the council's Economic Development Committee, which gets the first look at building proposals and initiates changes in the city's planning policies.

She supported requests for some of the plans that got on her schedule, such as a pitch from a Bay Area nonprofit to build affordable housing on Ninth Street. She voted against others, including a proposal from a Dublin builder for a 1,660-acre project in north Modesto.

Councilman Garrad Marsh and former Councilman Bob Dunbar kept schedules mainly featuring government committee meetings, work with community groups and appointments with residents.

Councilman Will O'Bryant and Councilwoman Kristin Olsen rarely used the city's appointment calendars. Their work on city business was not reflected by the documents The Bee reviewed.

Bee staff writer Adam Ashton can be reached at aashton@modbee.com or 578-2366.