Three candidates run for Ceres special election. How council deadlock inspired one
Northern Ceres residents in the Aug. 31 special election can vote for a government worker, child care provider or moving business owner to represent them on the City Council.
Two of the candidates previously applied for the appointment process to fill the District 1 vacancy, while the third said he decided to run after the council deadlocked over the issue.
Jim Casey, owner of Casey Moving Systems, saw the council vote 2-2 for all the applicants and fail to make an appointment in four meetings held between Feb. 2 and March 4.
“After I saw the process of how the council handled it I thought, ‘Oh boy, maybe I should’ve (applied),’” Casey said. “Maybe I would’ve been the tie-breaker.”
Now Casey is running for the all-mail ballot election against Laurie Smith and Connie Vasquez, who both applied for the appointment. Smith works as the director of Modesto’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhoods Department, while Vasquez owns Nana’s Lil Tykes Daycare. The winner of the special election is expected to join the council in September and serve until December 2022.
Council Members Linda Ryno and Bret Silveira voted to appoint Smith because of her government experience, but Mayor Javier Lopez and Council Member Couper Condit supported the other three applicants, including Vasquez. At the time, Lopez and Condit said they valued passion to serve and experience outside of government.
With 14 years of experience as a Ceres planning commissioner and 25 years working for the city of Modesto, Smith said she is running for the same reasons she applied for the appointment.
“I have a commitment to my community,” Smith said. “I feel like I had something to offer and that hasn’t changed.”
Smith’s top three priorities if elected are economic development, quality of life and public safety. The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the importance of those issues, she added.
Meanwhile, Vasquez said her top concerns include homelessness, rising water rates and more recreation options for youth. Vasquez has worked with children since 2007 and said she has seen an increase in people living on the streets, including at Smyrna Park. More homeless outreach to connect people with services may help, she said.
“I don’t feel safe taking my daycare to Smyrna Park anymore, so I think those things need to change,” Vasquez said. “There needs to be something done. We need to move forward and make it a cleaner and safer place for our community.”
If elected, Casey said listening to constituents and attracting businesses to increase the sales tax base are among his priorities. He similarly cited his roots in Ceres and how he has operated his business out of the city since 1995 as assets.
All three candidates are long-time Ceres residents. Casey has lived in the city for 47 years, while Smith and Vasquez have called Ceres home 34 and 35 years, respectively.
District 1 is bordered by Moffett Road to the east, Whitmore Avenue to the south and both Fifth Street and Central Avenue to the west. Residents have until Aug. 16 to register to vote in time for the election, per the Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters.
The county is scheduled to begin mailing ballots and voter information guides on Aug. 2.
