Of smallest Stanislaus cities, only Newman makes a change

Stanislaus County’s three smallest cities – Hughson, Newman and Waterford – all had mayoral and council spots open in Tuesday’s election, though in all three cases there was no contest for the mayor’s seat. Hughson and Waterford voters were poised to keep their elected officials in office, while Newman voters were bringing a change to their council.

In Hughson, the smallest incorporated city, at just over 7,100 people, incumbent Mayor Matt Beekman was unchallenged in his bid for re-election. Three candidates – incumbent George Carr, appointed incumbent Harold “Bud” Hill and Billy Gonzales – are vying for two City Council seats with four-year terms in the community east of Ceres. In unofficial results as of 1:22 a.m. Wednesday, with all four precincts counted, Carr had 40.7 percent of the vote, Hill 36.8 percent and Gonzales 21.5 percent.

Newman’s incumbent mayor, Ed Katen, also had no opponent. Incumbent Councilmen Nicholas Candea and Donald Hutchins have one challenger, Casey Graham. With all six precincts counted, unofficial results show Candea held his seat, winning 35.1 percent of the vote, while Hutchins, with 27.7 percent, lost to Graham, who held 36.6 percent. Located on Highway 33 near the Merced County line, Newman has a population of about 10,500.

“I’m excited, and glad for the support I’ve had,” Graham said shortly after 8:30. “The gentlemen I’m running against have done a great job,” he said, adding that he hopes to do the same for the residents of Newman.

In Waterford, Councilman Mike Van Winkle won the mayoral seat held by Charlie Goeken, who did not seek re-election. Incumbent council members Ken Krause and Joshua Whitfield kept their seats, defeating one challenger, Keith Self. In unofficial results with all four precincts counted, Whitfield had 42.4 percent of the vote. The very earliest results Tuesday night had Self making a strong challenge to Krause, but by early Wednesday’s count, he had 26.6 percent compared with Krause’s 30.3 percent. Waterford, northeast of Hughson on Highway 132, has a population of about 8,500.

This story was originally published November 4, 2014 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Of smallest Stanislaus cities, only Newman makes a change."