Withrow, Madrigal are once again in contentious race for Stanislaus County board seat
Supervisor Terry Withrow is shooting for another four years of leadership on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors.
Withrow survived a close call in the 2018 election with a 129-vote victory over Modesto Councilman Tony Madrigal. He is again fending off a challenge from Madrigal, a well-funded candidate whose council district overlaps part of Withrow’s supervisorial area.
The winner of the June 7 primary election will represent District 3, including west Modesto, Salida and Wood Colony.
In his 12 years on the board, Withrow has been a leader in fighting to keep the state from taking river flows from farmers and city water customers. He brought different parties together to develop the county’s groundwater ordinance and pushed for the low-barrier homeless shelter, the Kansas House supportive housing and Highway 132 improvements.
Madrigal, who is terming out on the council this year, hopes to join a county board that oversees a $1.6 billion budget and more than 4,600 employees.
Withrow, the current board chairman, invites people to compare the county’s fiscal health with Modesto’s financial struggles.
“Look at how the city is doing and ask if you want that kind of leadership for the county,” said Withrow, who also worked on restoring the Sheriff’s Department substation in Salida.
Madrigal said he is for county government that doesn’t leave anyone behind. “We need a supervisor who will work for all of us,” he said this week. “It is time for a new approach, a new energy for Stanislaus County.”
Madrigal promised to work for residents, small business owners and farmers on water, safe neighborhoods and access to quality health care. “My focus has always been on jobs, safety and community improvements,” Madrigal said.
Withrow has support from Sheriff Jeff Dirkse and the unions representing sheriff deputies. He also says the Modesto Police Officers Association, city firefighters union and former police chief Galen Carroll endorse him, along with the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, state Assemblyman Heath Flora and former state Senator Anthony Cannella.
Madrigal has support from Modesto Councilman Chris Ricci, former Councilwoman Kristi Ah You and Ceres Mayor Javier Lopez.
He has raised campaign funds aggressively this year, taking in $103,748 in the disclosure period between Jan. 1 and April 23, and spending $63,146 thus far. He also reported $7,900 in late contributions.
Withrow raised $81,650 in the same period, spending $23,362, and reported $10,300 in late contributions. He carried over $66,337 from the previous year.
Madrigal has accepted $4,000 from Lyons Investment Management LLC, a donor usually connected with plans for development in the politically sensitive Wood Colony area, and has collected thousands of dollars from construction trade unions.
The campaign disclosures serve to add farmland protection to the many issues debated in the run-up to the District 3 election.
Withrow said records show Madrigal voted (in 2014) to keep part of Wood Colony designated for development in Modesto’s general plan. Wood Colony property owners have fought against urban sprawl and annexation to Modesto.
“I would be first to admit my focus was on jobs,” Madrigal said during a Zoom forum with The Modesto Bee’s editorial board. He said he later changed his position after listening to residents and will oppose the extension of growth boundaries into Wood Colony.
When asked about the campaign funding Tuesday, Madrigal said he hasn’t talked to the investment firm’s principal Bill Lyons about development in Wood Colony. He said he’s committed to leaving Wood Colony alone so it does not get developed. “It is precious farmland that needs to be preserved,” Madrigal said.
He said he has union support because “working people know I will stand up for them just as I have done as a council member.”
Withrow said he’s been an advocate for protecting Wood Colony and will “continue to be as long as I’m on the the Board of Supervisors.”
Highway 132 project debated
Withrow has been a top elected official for Stanislaus County, but another close election could be won or lost over issues confined to his district.
Withrow pushed hard for the state to build the Highway 132 realignment and claims Madrigal has made political hay over a badly needed project.
Withrow, who is chairman of the Stanislaus Council of Governments, a transportation planning agency, said the existing Highway 132 route was plagued by traffic deaths and injuries. Some 60 years in the making, the realignment will improve traffic safety and also will ease the flow of goods in and out of Modesto.
Madrigal said he agrees the Highway 132 project is needed, but the first phase nearing completion does not include a sound wall requested by residents in the Woodland Avenue neighborhood.
Withrow assured that funding will be secured for the sound wall plus a guardrail where the bypass is 4 feet higher than adjacent Kansas Avenue. To reduce noise, Withrow said, he pushed for a project design that includes the recessed roadway going underneath the Carpenter Road and Rosemore Avenue intersections.
Withrow charged that Madrigal opposed the bypass for political gain before the 2018 election. Madrigal countered that he looked into environmental concerns over the level of heavy metal contaminants in berms.
Why he didn’t wear a mask
Withrow is a target for criticism for his comportment during the COVID-19 crisis; in particular, he didn’t wear a mask at county board meetings as the coronavirus spread throughout the county.
Withrow explained there were plexiglass separators between supervisors in the board chambers. He said he wore a mask inside businesses, as required, and was vaccinated.
His primary focus during the pandemic was improving access to effective COVID-19 treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies, to help people avoid serious illness, he said.
Madrigal was asked during the Bee forum whether he lives within the boundaries of his council district, a question he’s been asked since before the 2018 election. Madrigal said he lives in an apartment in west Modesto and is a funeral arranger for Franklin & Downs Funeral Home. Ah You, the former Modesto councilwoman, is managing partner at Franklin & Downs.
Views on downtown stadium proposal
The two candidates have also shared their opinions on the downtown stadium proposal in Modesto for hosting minor league baseball games, concerts and other events.
Madrigal said he’s open to a public-private partnership to develop the stadium project, using some county funding, but he wants to see private investment in it. “A stadium can be a catalyst to add life to the downtown and spur economic development,” he said.
Withrow said a stadium would be great “if they can figure it out,” but a higher priority for the county is investing funds in curbs, sidewalks and utility services in disadvantaged neighborhoods in the county.
“I don’t know how to justify the county investing in a stadium when we have these areas to fix,” Withrow said. “I can’t say this is a good idea with a straight face when I’m walking through their streets and they don’t have sidewalks, curbs and gutters.”
Madrigal’s chances of winning may spring from nearly nine years of representing neighborhoods in west and south Modesto.
Madrigal said he helped secure grants of $8.5 million each for renovations of Martin Luther King Park and Cesar Chavez Park. The councilman said he has supported innovative solutions for the homeless such as the Kansas House supportive housing and the city park rangers program.
Madrigal said the city has made progress toward fiscal stability. Modesto has 10 new police officers this year and has kept all of its fire stations open. The city is looking for ways to improve its fiscal situation given the limited funding available, he said.
Withrow said he spends a lot of time in disadvantaged neighborhoods of his district trying to meet their needs.
Last week, Withrow and fellow board members held a special meeting in the field, going to the Robertson Road neighborhood in west Modesto, Riverdale Park and other neighborhoods to talk with people about improvements.
The board has designated $50 million in American Rescue Plan funding for improvements such as sidewalks, streetlights and water service in unincorporated islands in Stanislaus County.
Withrow said the many hours spent on county service takes away from his accounting business but he’s in the game to make the county a better place to live.
He cited everything from completing the Highway 132 bypass to housing for the homeless, mental health and substance abuse programs, the Stanislaus 2030 initiative and water challenges as the reasons for seeking a fourth term.
This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 12:26 PM.
