Hughson mayor accepts job as Livermore police chief. County leaders will miss him.
Hughson Mayor Jeramy Young said at the City Council meeting Monday that he is resigning, the second time in three days that a mayor in Stanislaus County signaled he was stepping down.
Young’s resignation will take effect after the council meeting Dec. 14, when the Hughson council will consider how to choose a new mayor.
Oakdale Mayor J.R. McCarty announced Nov. 20 he is resigning at year’s end, midway through his term. McCarty said he will be moving outside the city limits.
Stanislaus County leaders took note of the resignations in light of the roles that mayors play in important matters beyond their respective jurisdictions.
“It is going to be tough to replace these folks,” county Supervisor Vito Chiesa said Friday. “Mayors may have only one vote on their councils but their responsibilities are broader from the countywide perspective.”
Despite Hughson having the smallest tax base, Chiesa pointed out the city has built more than ample general fund reserves during Young’s tenure.
The mayor of the county’s smallest city has displayed his leadership as chairman of the Stanislaus Council of Governments, which plays a key role in transportation planning and projects like the Highway 132 reroute. Young has also been a League of California Cities board member.
Young recently was named police chief of Livermore following the Bay Area city’s nationwide search for a new chief. After considering the job candidates, Livermore decided the best choice was the acting police chief, Young, who managed the department after former Chief Michael Harris retired in August.
Young said Friday the promotion forced him to make a decision between two highly demanding jobs, and he decided his career comes first.
“It is bittersweet,” Young said. “I love Hughson and love serving the community.”
Young will leave StanCOG as it considers regionalizing bus service to make it more efficient. In a news release from the city of Hughson, the outgoing mayor was credited with contributing to a business-friendly environment and building relationships with partners at all levels of government.
“Mayor Young has been a vital and well-respected partner in the successes of the city of Hughson and our surrounding community,” Councilman Ramon Bawanan said in the news release. “His leadership, attention to detail, and his focus on fiscal responsibilities have benefited our city.”
McCarty has led a city that’s worked with partners outside its boundaries to provide fire protection services. Oakdale entered an agreement with the Modesto Fire Department in June 2019 to replace a multiyear contract with the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District that was not renewed.
Young was one of three people installed on the Hughson council by a recall election in 2010. He worked for the Modesto Police Department before getting hired as a police captain in Livermore in 2014.
Young, who has not been the only commuter mayor in Stanislaus County, said a big accomplishment was a restructuring of debt service on the city’s wastewater treatment plant, which is bringing down sewer rates for customers by 20 percent.
He was first appointed mayor in 2016 and was elected to another two-year term Nov. 3. Young said he filed for re-election last summer before the Livermore police chief recruitment began. He didn’t get the final job offer until after the recent election, he said.
County Supervisor Terry Withrow is expected to rotate into the StanCOG chairmanship after the New Year. On Dec. 14, the Hughson council may consider options like a special election or an appointment to fill the two-year mayoral term.
Young said he’s leaving office with confidence in the remaining council members in Hughson. “We have council members who have been there a long time who are able to do a great job,” he said.
This story was originally published November 29, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
