Why would you vote for anyone else for Stanislaus County supervisor?

The choices for Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors couldn’t be any clearer if they were written in the sky. In red, white and blue.

Terry Withrow should remain District 3 supervisor and Frank Damrell should be elected to represent District 4. Their alternatives are simply unacceptable.

District 3

If there’s a knock on Withrow, it’s that he’s too low-key; that he deflects credit for any accomplishments.

He has been a driving force behind Focus on Prevention, the community effort to solve homelessness, dysfunctional families, poverty and addiction.

Yet, former County CEO Stan Risen recalled the apartment building that was condemned in downtown Modesto in 2017, requiring residents to vacate. All of them were poor; most had nowhere to turn. “Terry was down there helping those folks move out,” said Risen. “He was helping to make sure they got connected to services. … He’s just got heart.”

When the state passed its sustainable groundwater act in 2014, Withrow dove into an extremely complicated issue, putting Stanislaus ahead of the curve. Later, he tried to work out a solution to protect both our region’s water from the state and its salmon populations from disappearing.

He’s a leading proponent for farmland preservation.

“We’ve seen pretty much eye-to-eye on protecting farmland,” said Denny Jackman, a former president of the Central Valley Farmland Trust. “The politician we see is the politician we get. We’ve seen the work that Terry has been doing.”

Oh, and he’s a CPA, meaning Withrow understands every number in the county’s $1.2 billion budget.

People from every corner of the county have endorsed him – from farmers John Fiscalini and Paul Wenger to retired hydrologist Vance Kennedy to former Modesto councilman Bruce Frohman.

All four of the other county supervisors have, too. Vito Chiesa put it bluntly: “I’m screwed without him. … With Terry, we can sit down with anyone and work through an issue. He’s a believer. He believes we can find a solution.”

The alternative is Tony Madrigal, who 10 months ago was re-elected to the Modesto City Council. Madrigal doesn’t have much to brag about during his time on the council, but that doesn’t stop him. He claimed credit for bringing an ice rink to downtown, but the operators said he deserved none. He said he led efforts to help UC Merced establish a Modesto presence, but a university spokesperson said others were far more involved.

“Tony talks big and he tries to wear all these white hats,” said Jackman. “But I can’t even get him to clean up my alley.”

District 4

We like the fact Frank Damrell will, on occasion, speak his mind. When he wrote about the state water grab, he said simply: “Hell, no!”

Usually, Damrell’s is a low-key guy more at home developing solutions than asking for votes. As a member of state Sen. Cathleen Galgiani’s staff, Damrell’s approach has been to dig into details then offer solutions. His priorities and work ethic fits well with the other members of the board.

Retiring state Sen. Tom Berryhill’s do not.

Simply put, he should not be running for office – any office, but especially this one.

For the past eight years, he’s served as the District 8 state senator – which includes eastern Stanislaus County but does not include this supervisorial district.

Berryhill is recuperating from a broken hip he suffered sometime this summer. We don’t know exactly when, but it appears he didn’t attend a single Senate session from June through Aug. 31.

A heart-transplant survivor, Berryhill is a medical miracle, and we’re glad he’s on the mend. But his health isn’t the disqualifying factor.

Simply put, Berryhill doesn’t deserve to be a Stanislaus County Supervisor.

In 2015, Berryhill had a chance to help end the “negative bailout,” a legislative gimmick passed in 1980 that required Stanislaus and five other unlucky counties who had remained solvent after passage of 1978’s Proposition 13 to pay into a state fund to be distributed to counties that hadn’t. Needy counties like Marin, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

Over 35 years, Stanislaus paid the state $40 million. But Chiesa cut a deal with Gov. Jerry Brown to end it. The deal would cause short-term pain to a few cities (some in Berryhill’s district), but provided permanent relief for the six counties.

Every other area representative voted in favor, but Berryhill abstained.

County supervisor is a non-partisan office, but both races have acquired partisan overtones. Many Republicans back Berryhill because he’s one of them; several Democratic organizations are pushing Madrigal simply because of the “D” behind his name.

Both sides should take off their blinders and examine their values.

Terry Withrow is well known for helping Stanislaus County’s most desperate and most forgotten residents. He’s worked hard to save farmland from being paved over. Those are the priorities of a good person, not a “good Republican.” Democrats should recognize that reality and vote accordingly.

Tom Berryhill refused to stand up for this county on a crucial monetary matter when it needed him; prudent Republicans should have no problem rejecting him now.

It’s clear, Withrow and Damrell are best suited to serve on Stanislaus County’s board.

This story was originally published September 23, 2018 at 2:50 PM.