Did Ceres elect newcomers over City Council veterans? Candidates react to early results
Even with final voting results pending, longtime Ceres City Council Member Bret Durossette said he did not expect to catch up to a substantial lead by political newcomer Javier Lopez in the race for mayor.
Preliminary elections results indicate Ceres may see an almost entirely new council, and candidates acknowledged the possibility of Vice Mayor Linda Ryno serving with first-timers to elected office.
Lopez led Durossette, who was first appointed to the council in 2007, 54% to 46% in the latest election results released by Stanislaus County on Friday night.
District 4 Councilman Mike Kline also is in danger of losing his seat after holding office since 2011. Couper Condit, grandson of former Ceres Mayor and long-serving Valley Congressman Gary Condit, led the race with 40.5%, followed by Kline with 24%, and two other challengers with 18.3% and 17.1%.
Durossette gave his best wishes to the potential new council, which also may see Councilman Channce Condit — Couper Condit’s brother — vacate his District 1 seat. If he continues his 22% lead in the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors District 5 race, he will be replaced by a council appointment or special election.
“We worked our tails off, the people that I had in my corner,” said Durossette, whose term representing District 3 expires this year. “For 13 years, I’ve been serving on the City Council, and if people want change, there it is.”
In a Facebook post, his wife, Angela Durossette, asked people to pray for Ceres residents after commenting on the preliminary results for mayor.
“This man has given his adult life to serve the community and the fact that people voted for someone with zero understanding of basic local government speaks volumes,” she said in a post Wednesday. “.... He has taken thousands of phone calls until all hours of the night, made house visits and this is how he is thanked!”
Bret Durossette said she was just disappointed and that he wants what is best for the city. Durossette declined to comment on the post further, saying he did not want remarks to be misconstrued.
Leading Ceres mayor candidate shares his strategy
Regarding Angela Durossette’s Facebook post, Lopez said his campaign focused on being positive and will continue to do so.
“For the time being, I’m remaining very humble,” Lopez said. “What you will see in the future is I’m not the type of person to jump the gun, so this is why I’m not posting on my media posts that I have won, because I want to wait until it’s official.”
Over the past few months, Lopez said he walked neighborhoods, talked to businesses and engaged in a lot one-on-one interactions with residents. Lopez set up a booth at the flea market one busy Sunday, but said he tried to follow coronavirus guidelines against holding large events.
On social media, Lopez said he believes his posts on homelessness resonated with people. Sign pickups also gave him a chance to connect with residents, he said.
“I believe with that situation I was able to reach out to the community and ask people what interests were there and things that they wanted to change in Ceres,” Lopez said. “I’m always open to suggestions. So I think me being open with the public, being on social media and always staying positive is one of the reasons why I’m leading right now.”
Potential new council members cite commission experience
Bret Silveira, the leading candidate in early results for City Council District 3, said he found the preliminary results of the mayoral race surprising. It marks the first contested race for Ceres’s top elected office in 17 years and outgoing Mayor Chris Viera, who was first elected in 2011, did not run for re-election.
While Silveira said he and other potential council newcomers face challenges, he said he brings experience from 30 years as a Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputy and nine months on the Ceres Planning Commission.
“I’m excited about the opportunity and the challenge, whether it be a whole new council and we’re all learning together on the fly or just the long-term effects of the decisions we make and how positive we can make it for the citizens of Ceres,” Silveira said.
He led the preliminary results released Friday with 39.8%, followed by delivery driver Juan Pablo Vazquez at 27.4%, Mohinder Kanda at 17.1% and Brandy Meyer at 15.8%.
Couper Condit, who could be the youngest member of the new council at age 24, also cited his time on the Planning Commission. By appointment, he served on the commission for about five years.
“Regardless of who is on the council, we must work together to improve the quality of life for Ceres residents,” Condit said in a text to The Bee. “Our residents expect us to put the needs of the city first and to always be mindful of how we spend taxpayer money.”
This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
