Condit cousins hold the lead in two supervisor races in Stanislaus County
Election returns Tuesday night pointed to Matthew “Buck” Condit and Channce Condit joining the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors in January.
Buck Condit, a captain for Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District, was leading in the race for the board seat representing the Riverbank, Oakdale and Waterford area. Condit had 57 percent to 43 percent for Modesto Councilman Bill Zoslocki.
The winner will succeed former assemblywoman and supervisor Kristin Olsen, who did not seek a second term. Zoslocki said he conceded the race to Buck Condit late Tuesday night.
Ceres Councilman Channce Condit held a larger lead over Tom Hallinan in supervisorial District 5, which includes Ceres and western Stanislaus County. Condit had 61 percent compared to 39 percent for Hallinan.
The two Condits are cousins once removed and part of an extended political family in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
(See updated Stanislaus County results of all races)
“We are optimistic,” Channce Condit said of his lead. “If I wake up tomorrow and I’m the supervisor for District 5, I am going to be humbled and very appreciative of the voters.”
At age 31, Condit would not be the youngest adult ever elected to the Board of Supervisors. He said his grandfather, former Congressman Gary Condit, was 28 when elected to the same board in 1978.
Buck Condit was enthusiastic as he maintained his lead Tuesday night. “It’s a good position to be in,” he said. The fire captain said face-to-face time in talking with residents made a difference for his campaign.
“It comes down to our platform — public safety, water and all the issues that our people want to get a handle on, plus Covid-19,” he said.
Buck Condit added that the county testing system for coronavirus, as well as contact tracing, needs to be overhauled. “We need to take a good look at that,” he said.
Channce Condit gave credit to his father, Chad Condit, for managing his campaign.
Zoslocki said close to 10 p.m. he would wait for the next results before making a definitive comment. But he didn’t sound optimistic.
“I am disappointed in the sense that I did want to win,” Zoslocki said. “As far as the process, the election was fair and the voters chose.”
Zoslocki said having two cousins on the board will be an “interesting experiment,” but it’s the outcome chosen by voters.
Vito Chiesa, the only incumbent on the ballot, was not opposed and will serve a fourth term.
Buck Condit’s employer, Stanislaus Consolidated, has been at the center of contention over fire service in the eastern part of the county.
Condit has promised to work on improving public safety services including filling gaps in sheriff patrols. During the campaign, Zoslocki emphasized his local government experience and business background in the construction trade. He promised to keep pushing for infrastructure expansion and transportation projects like the Highway 132 reroute.
The District 5 election featured two candidates who sit at the dais at Ceres council meetings. Hallinan is city attorney for Ceres and also a legal adviser for Patterson and Newman.
There was a slight difference between Condit and Hallinan in their support for a new storage reservoir proposed in a canyon just west of Patterson. Hallinan said he supported the dam being developed by Del Puerto Water District and other entities in the face of opposition from environmentalists and vocal Patterson residents.
Condit said he supports new water storage for agriculture but would keep an open mind to different sites for the reservoir.
Channce and Buck Condit both received generous campaign donations and support from firefighter labor groups.
Zoslocki accepted thousands of dollars in contributions from the California Real Estate PAC and Mapes Ranch Investments.
If the results hold up, Channce Condit, a Democrat, will break a long streak of Republicans serving on the five-member nonpartisan board. Gov. Gavin Newsom also is expected to appoint a Democrat to complete the unexpired board term of former state senator Tom Berryhill, who died in August.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 10:50 PM.
