Mayor: Modesto needs a timeout on any new spending

As I undertake the duties as the new mayor of Modesto, I want to thank voters for entrusting me with this office. Since I have never served in elected office, I understand you are taking a chance on me.

Running for office, I’m sure, is the last thing my wife and family expected from me. So I must thank my wife, Jeri, and my entire family for their love and support.

Mayor Garrad Marsh had a respectful 22 years of dedicated service in City Hall, but voters were ready for a change. I am humbled by the trust voters have shown in me, and I will do my best to make you proud. I have a lot to learn, so I hope you will be patient.

I ran for office on a detailed program I call the Brandvold Blueprint. This program is still posted online at www.BrandvoldBlueprint.com. I will keep it posted so you can track whether I actually do what I told you I would.

My first priority will be a thorough review of the city budget. The review committee will analyze the spending and existing priorities in the budget.

As I stated during the campaign, our immediate goal will be to look for savings that we can apply to putting more police officers on patrol. Our long-term goal is to create financial sustainability for city operations and taxpayers.

Most city employees seem to welcome this budget review because they understand that city government must have a high level of respect for the taxpayer. But, as might be expected, change is difficult for some, so there is some resistance to such a thorough review.

Certainly a “business-as-usual attitude” was evident from my election Feb. 2 through taking office Feb. 23. Spending $75,000 for the Amgen sleepover for bicyclists, $60,000 for a little-understood marketing study, and other spending all have been loudly criticized.

To assist in the budget review, I will be recommending a timeout on new discretionary spending proposals that are currently unbudgeted. This timeout will allow the necessary focus to be spent on the budget review so we can analyze the true financial situation of the city of Modesto. By working collaboratively, your city council and top city management can earn your trust.

After the budget review, we will work on other important priorities including: economic development to expand our tax base, creating a City Hall that listens to you and collaborates on solutions, and increasing City Hall’s respect for taxpayers.

As I said from the start of my campaign, together we can do better.

Finally, I want to thank the many organizations and individuals who supported me during the campaign. You backed a long-shot candidate, against what most political observers thought were long odds, because you believed that we needed to make a change in City Hall.

A number of you were maligned – or, depending on how you interpret it, complimented – by being labeled as “power brokers” bankrolling my campaign and controlling me! Also, an odd interest arose that, as The Modesto Bee wrote, I had “the support of friends from church,” as though this could be considered a bad thing. I would have assumed that everyone running for office would have the support of the people that know them best.

People who know a lot more about politics than I do tell me this is the price a political newcomer pays as people try to define you. I wanted to acknowledge and thank those who supported me for accepting these swipes with good humor and good grace.

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Mayor: Modesto needs a timeout on any new spending."