Money pouring in to increasingly nasty Turlock mayoral race

The three main candidates to become Turlock’s next mayor have reported raising a combined $251,000 ahead of the Nov. 6 election to lead a city of roughly 72,000 residents. The fourth candidate has not raised any money.

The most recent campaign finance forms for the mayor’s race, as well as City Council Districts 1 and 3, were filed this week with the city clerk’s office. The forms list how much the candidates have raised and spent through Oct. 20.

Mayor Gary Soiseth, who is running for re-election, has reported raising $88,346, which includes $14,168 he raised last year.

Soiseth is being challenged by Councilwoman Amy Bublak, former Mayor Brad Bates and Jaime Franco, who unsuccessfully ran for City Council in 2016, and has said he is the underdog in this race. Franco is not raising money for his campaign.

Bublak, a retired Modesto police officer, reported raising $65,198, which includes $13,500 that her husband has lent her campaign. Bublak will remain on the council to finish the remaining two years of her term if she is not elected mayor.

Bates, who served as mayor from 1982 to 1990 and recently retired as a senior vice president for a Modesto insurance firm, reported raising $97,361, including $55,000 he has lent to his campaign.

The race for mayor has been nasty at times.

For instance, Bublak accused Bates of selling insurance to developers when he was mayor but declined to name names when Bates demanded she do so. Bates said she couldn’t because her accusation was false.

And Bublak has accused Soiseth of trying to benefit financially from a proposed water treatment plant that would serve the city. Soiseth has said the accusation is completely false.

Soiseth has said he has run a positive campaign focused on the issues. But some of what he has said has missed the mark. One example: Soiseth said in his State of the City Address in July that he and the council had built up general fund budget reserves and then prudently invested them in the city and its employees.

But city documents and other records tell a different story: reserves were significantly higher before Soiseth and the new council took office in 2014, and Turlock is on pace to spend all of its general fund reserves within three years because of spending decisions made by Soiseth and the council.

Soiseth has said those spending decisions were necessary, and the city is being diligent at curbing expenses and finding new revenues. The roughly $42 million general fund pays for public safety and other basics.

Soiseth has faced more than his share of controversy.

That includes two Modesto Irrigation District board members recently saying they had launched an investigation on whether MID officials broke the law while considering hiring Soiseth as a consultant. Soiseth had been MID’s regulatory administrator before resigning Sept. 7. He has said he is starting a new career as a water and energy consultant.

As for Bates, questions have been raised about the former mayor’s temperament and ability to get along with others, claims Bates has said are false.

Voters also will chose a council member for District 1 (east Turlock) and District 3 (northeast Turlock) on Nov. 6. The city’s four council members are elected by district, while the mayor is elected citywide.

The District 1 candidates are Jon Boulos, Central Catholic High’s controller; Nicole Larson, a recent graduate and student body president of Stanislaus State; Autumn Salazar, a UC Merced administrator; and Forrest White, a former Turlock councilman and retired CEO of the San Joaquin County Fair.

Logan Sisco also qualified for the ballot but dropped out of the race and is supporting Larson. District 1 Councilman Matthew Jacob is not running for re-election.

District 3 candidates are incumbent Bill DeHart and political newcomer Andrew Nosrati. DeHart works as a consultant for Turlock businessman Matt Swanson’s Associated Feed & Supply Co. Nosrati is vice president of product development for the tech firm AdShare.

The candidates for council districts 1 and 3 have raised a combined $54,121.

The Turlock Associated Police Officers political action committee reported donating $4,000 to Bublak’s campaign and $1,000 to Salazar’s.

The Turlock firefighters union political action committee reported donating $500 to Larson and spending $3,779 each on political advertisements for Larson, DeHart and Soiseth.