More turnover for Modesto City Council as member says she won’t seek another term
Modesto Councilwoman Kristi Ah You has decided not to run for re-election, bringing more turnover among the city’s elected leaders.
Ah You had planned to seek her second and final term in the Nov. 3 election to represent Council District 3, which encompasses central Modesto but said Monday she recently changed her mind because of the pull of family and career. She had faced no challengers so far.
Ah You, 49, said she and her husband recently bought a house with her parents, where they all live. She also has four grandchildren and is managing partner for the Franklin & Downs funeral homes in Modesto and Ceres.
Ah You said she debated her decision for a while before deciding that “family and business won out. ... My heart’s desire is to continue, but when you weigh it all out (it’s) family.”
Ah You will finish the remaining term of her office and said she is not ruling out running for office again some day. She was elected in November 2015 to a four-year term, but all seven council members are serving an additional year after voters in November 2018 approved moving council elections from odd to even years.
Her decision means there will be more new faces on the council.
Councilmen Mani Grewal and Doug Ridenour also were elected in November 2015 and are not seeking second terms. Grewal is running for the state Senate, and Ridenour is running for mayor. He is among several candidates challenging Mayor Ted Brandvold in the November election.
Councilman Bill Zoslocki’s term ends in November 2022, but he could leave a year sooner. He is one of three candidates seeking to replace Kristin Olsen on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors. The top two voter-getters in Tuesday’s primary will advance to the November election unless one receives at least 50 percent of the vote.
Council members Tony Madrigal and Jenny Kenoyer term out of office in 2022.
The City Council has been divided during Brandvold’s tenure as mayor, with Ah You and Madrigal often joining him to form one voting bloc and the other four council members forming another bloc. And council meetings can be acrimonious and contentious.
Ah You has been an advocate for homeless people and for more accountability and openness at City Hall. She also has been critical at times of City Manager Joe Lopez and other top city officials.
This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 9:07 AM.
