Councilwoman Ah You joins those challenging Mayor Brandvold in November election
Modesto Councilwoman Kristi Ah You is running for mayor, bringing the number of candidates challenging Mayor Ted Brandvold in the November election to six.
Ah You, who is completing her first term as a councilwoman, had said in early March that she would not run for re-election so she could focus on family, including her parents, but said those issues have been resolved.
She said Tuesday that the new coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing recession, as well as the social upheaval and calls to end systemic racism, inequality and other social ills that have come to the forefront nationwide since the May 25 death of George Floyd, are behind her decision to run. But Ah You said any changes need to respect the hard work of first responders.
“I don’t want to throw my hands up and walk away,” she said. “We need people who have a heart for the city and are not focused on politics and who understand the role of the mayor and City Council.”
Ah You has been a strong supporter of Brandvold and still supports him but said it’s time for new leadership at the top.
She said Modesto needs a mayor who will bring civility, decorum and respect back to the seven-member City Council, which is divided into two factions and whose members can bicker during meetings, and a mayor who understands that he is one of seven policy makers and that city staff run the city and carry out the council’s vision.
Brandvold has been criticized for not trusting staff, acting as though his job is to run the city and for not seeking input from council members, city staff and the public. He has said these criticisms are not accurate. He could not be reached immediately for comment Tuesday evening.
For instance, Brandvold has been criticized for trying to put an urban limit line on the November ballot that opponents said was being done too quickly and without adequate outreach. And the local agency that regulates cities’ growth said Modesto was doing the planning for the urban limit backward and asked the city to follow the standard process.
Urban limit will not be on November ballot
The City Council was expected to vote Tuesday evening on whether to put the urban limit on the ballot, but the vote was canceled and the measure will not be placed.
City Manager Joe Lopez and Brandvold said more outreach is needed before the council can make a decision, which drew praise from council members and a couple of Wood Colony residents. The proposed urban limit would have carved out more than 1,100 acres from the colony, the farming community west of Highway 99.
“We need to do it in a way that is organized, well thought out and collaborative,” Ah You said. “We should have been working on it the last five years (and) not try to put it on the ballot at the last minute during a pandemic.”
But Ah You stressed that she loves the mayor and said he has much to be proud about, including increasing the city’s general fund budget reserves and trying to bring in an independent auditor to bring more scrutiny to City Hall. “He’s done a lot of good,” she said. “I don’t know what happened.”
Brandvold said Wednesday afternoon “a little bit” when asked whether he was surprised by Ah You’s decision. “That’s all I want to say. She’s a fine council person and a fine person.”
Says she added to dysfunction, will do better in future
Ah You acknowledges that she has participated in the bickering and cross talk at council meetings that has contributed to the council’s dysfunction but said it was done out of frustration and said she knows she needs to do better as mayor.
Ah You, 50, is managing partner for the Franklin & Downs funeral homes in Modesto and Ceres. She has been an advocate for homeless people and services to help them as well as bringing more scrutiny to City Hall.
Ah You said she pulled her nomination papers for mayor Tuesday.
The other candidates are Councilman Doug Ridenour, Naramsen Goriel, one of the founders of the progressive movement Indivisible Stanislaus, Co-Senior Pastor Rick Countryman of Big Valley Grace Community Church, Bert Lippert, the city’s building safety program coordinator, and Armando Arreola, who received 1.1 percent of the vote in the last mayoral election.
Ah You said she had been a longtime Republican but about four months ago she changed her voter registration to no party preference.
She also is a rarity in that she is a women running for mayor, making her just one of a handful of female candidates since 1979. The typical candidate is an older white man.
This story was originally published July 14, 2020 at 7:32 PM.
