Modesto Bee Logo

Is push for strong mayor in Modesto in the offing as council makes changes at the top? | Modesto Bee

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Newsletters
    • Buy Photos
    • Submit a Photo
    • Search Archives

    • News
    • Politics
    • Local News
    • Crime
    • Bee Investigator
    • Education
    • Turlock
    • Oakdale
    • California News
    • Nation & World
    • Scott Peterson Case
    • Local Sports
    • Sports
    • High School
    • High School Football
    • High School Athletes
    • College
    • Outdoors
    • Camps, clinics listings
    • Pro Sports
    • NFL
    • MLB
    • Giants
    • A's
    • 49ers
    • Raiders
    • NBA
    • Politics
    • The California Influencer Series
    • Business
    • Biz Beat
    • Agriculture
    • Employment News
    • Real Estate
    • Living
    • Celebrations
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Fitness
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • Worship Directory
    • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV News
    • Contests
    • Comics
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Horoscopes
    • Modesto Bee Rewards
    • All Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Influencers Opinion
    • National Issues
    • State Issues
    • Submit a Letter
    • Mike Dunbar
    • Community Voices
    • Obituaries
    • View Obituaries
    • Place Obituary Ad

    • dealsaver
    • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ad
    • Pets
    • Garage Sales
    • Real Estate
    • Apartment and Rentals
    • Jobs
    • RVs/Motorhomes
    • Merchandise
    • Service Directory
    • Place an Ad
    • Place Celebration
    • Place Obituary Ad
    • Place Classified Ad
    • Place Legal Ad
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • See Legal Notices
  • Mobile & Apps

Jeff Jardine

Is push for strong mayor in Modesto in the offing as council makes changes at the top?

By Jeff Jardine

jjardine@modbee.com

    ORDER REPRINT →

March 29, 2017 05:10 PM

As any city manager knows, the job is a week-to-week proposition. Or at least election to election.

It doesn’t necessarily matter how well the manager performs. When half of the city council plus one wants him/her out, he or she is out, getting a decent buyout package as part of the exit strategy. It is that simple.

That Modesto City Manager Jim Holgersson’s job is imperiled reaffirms the precarious nature of the position due to the built-in power struggle of the council/manager system and illustrates the impact of personality conflicts when it comes to running a city. The average tenure of Modesto’s five CMs since 1991 has been 5.4 years, with Ed Tewes lasting eight (1991-99) before a police gun scandal cost him his job. If Holgersson goes – he arrived in May 2014 – he would join Tewes and Jack Crist among those being forced out while George Britton retired and Greg Nyhoff took a job in Oxnard.

If the trend holds, the council will name an interim replacement for Holgersson, conduct a nationwide search for a “permanent” manager and then repeat the process roughly 5.4 years from now. But will Modesto’s next city manager be its last?

SIGN UP

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Modesto Bee

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

As the possible exit strategy for Holgersson began to play out this week, I began hearing rumblings that there could be a push in the not-so-distant future to ask voters to change the city to a strong mayor system. Mayor Ted Brandvold said he’s heard the same. “But that’s not not coming from me,” he told me.

In Modesto’s current system, the mayor is a voting member of the council. The council hires the city manager responsible for the day-to-day operation of the city, and hires the various department heads including the chief of police.

A strong mayor is in charge of hiring and firing department heads, has veto power but no vote, and is responsible for developing a vision for the city.

Fresno residents voted in a strong mayor system in 1993 and it went into effect in 1997.

“The civic and business leaders were dissatisfied with the direction the city was going (in 1993),” said Ashley Swearengin, a two-term Fresno mayor in the strong mayor system. “There was lots of negativity, lots of finger pointing and blame between the city council and the city manager. (Voters) decided there ought to be one elected CEO who is directly accountable to the public.”

Fresno is the largest city in California’s Central Valley. Sacramento voters, however, in 2010 refused then-Mayor Kevin Johnson’s push for a strong mayor system and continues with a council/city manager system. Former Sacramento Mayor Anne Rudin counseled against the strong mayor system, telling PublicCeo that “The mayor’s race can be a popularity contest that doesn’t ensure the winner has public policy skills that a professional manager would learn by coming up through the ranks.”

Modesto, population 207,000, did strengthen the mayor’s powers somewhat nine years ago by giving the mayor more authority over the budget as part of Measure M, which passed with 78 percent of the vote in 2008. But further expanding the mayor’s powers could take years to orchestrate and also would require voter approval.

So for now, if Holgersson indeed is out, expect the council to hire a new “permanent” city manager for the next 5.4 years.

Jeff Jardine: 209-578-2383, @JeffJardine57

  Comments  

Videos

See confusion after medical emergency at Orpheum Theatre

Double shooting in Ceres, Ca.

View More Video

Trending Stories

Police investigate shooting in east Modesto

February 16, 2019 12:01 PM

Two men shot at a family celebration in Ceres, leaving one in critical condition

February 16, 2019 08:48 PM

Teenager injured in west Modesto shooting; gun found at the scene

February 15, 2019 09:56 AM

Gavin Newsom says California plans to sue Donald Trump over national emergency declaration

February 15, 2019 10:32 AM

This national shoe store chain is giving up. What it means for the Modesto area

February 15, 2019 08:50 PM

Read Next

D-Day book cements 5-decade friendship across north Modesto street

Jeff Jardine

D-Day book cements 5-decade friendship across north Modesto street

By Jeff Jardine

jjardine@modbee.com

    ORDER REPRINT →

June 05, 2017 01:53 PM

Neighbor buys a book for D-Day Navy veteran across the street only to find vet, crew and boat are in it.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Modesto Bee

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE JEFF JARDINE

Jeff Jardine

What Jeff Jardine found when he cleaned out his desk for the last time

June 03, 2017 11:49 AM
Memories of library visits past merit renewal of tax for the future

Jeff Jardine

Memories of library visits past merit renewal of tax for the future

May 31, 2017 04:24 PM
MJC veterans support ousted certification specialist in letters, calls

Jeff Jardine

MJC veterans support ousted certification specialist in letters, calls

May 29, 2017 12:45 PM
50 years later, truth still matters to USS Liberty crewman who survived attack by Israelis

Jeff Jardine

50 years later, truth still matters to USS Liberty crewman who survived attack by Israelis

May 27, 2017 03:24 PM
Duarte hopes Trump’s order will ease harrowing experience against feds in court

Jeff Jardine

Duarte hopes Trump’s order will ease harrowing experience against feds in court

May 24, 2017 04:48 PM
Cold, wet realities of floating on overflowing, brushy Stanislaus River

Jeff Jardine

Cold, wet realities of floating on overflowing, brushy Stanislaus River

May 22, 2017 05:18 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Modesto Bee App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
Advertising
  • Advertising Information
  • Place Obituary or Celebration
  • Place Classified, Legal
  • Local Deals
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story