Experience gives these candidates a leg up in Ceres and Patterson

The Modesto Bee’s endorsements for mayor in both Ceres and Patterson have one thing in common: recent, valuable City Council experience.

Both Bret Durossette in Ceres and Dennis McCord in Patterson stand out from their opponents because of dedicated public service the past few years, providing them with the knowledge and expertise needed in coming years.

Both are open races. Incumbents Chris Vierra and Deborah Novelli are stepping aside after leading Ceres and Patterson, respectively, for nine years and six years. Mayors are elected to terms of four years in Ceres and two years in Patterson.

Ceres

Durossette’s run on the Ceres council already has spanned 13 years. In a forum with The Bee’s editorial board, he called his candidacy the “no-brainer” choice.

“I’ve made Ceres a priority,” Durossette said, “the whole (city), not one side of the freeway.”

In the same forum, opponent Javier Lopez repeatedly deferred to Durossette on various questions for a simple reason: Durossette knows the answers. His municipal repertoire ranges from the future water plant and beautification to police training and business retention, and everything in between. In short, he knows his stuff.

With 48,430 residents, Ceres — Stanislaus County’s third-largest city, behind Modesto and Turlock — will benefit from someone with that kind of know-how at the helm.

Both candidates are involved in youth sports. Durossette, a teacher for 27 years, has been head coach of football and basketball at Ceres High School, and Lopez, who owns a fire technician business, coaches freshman football at Central Valley High.

It’s not hard to envision Lopez — a successful young man with many positive traits — involved in public service as well, perhaps on another level. Our communities are well served when such newcomers step forward.

Patterson

With 23,074 people, Patterson is fifth in terms of population among Stanislaus cities. The larger ones, ravaged by COVID-related revenue losses, might be envious of Patterson’s dramatic growth in warehousing and other business in recent years, making City Hall much less dependent on sales tax drops related to closures.

For that blessing, Patterson residents can thank leaders like McCord, who was elected to the City Council six years ago, and David Keller, a current opponent who served several years back.

McCord actively worked to improve Patterson long before entering public service, volunteering with schools, scholarship programs and the Patterson Education Foundation as well as the local Lions Club and Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. It’s nice when people know they’re casting a vote for someone so personally invested in their community.

“I regularly door-knock all of Patterson,” McCord said in an interview with The Bee editorial board. “I’m answerable to people. They have my direct number, and when they need help, they call me. I’m out there knocking on a door, trying to find out what’s going on and fixing a problem when I find it.”

Keller is well-positioned in his own right, having served on the Patterson council from 1998 to 2006, the last two as mayor. He acknowledges that his passion is opposition to the proposed Del Puerto Canyon dam in its preferred location in the Diablo range not far from town. He and other critics believe an earthquake could cause the reservoir to fail and inundate the city, and many urge that the dam be constructed in an alternate remote location.

A third mayoral candidate, Mark Miles — capable and sincere, with a focus on youth — is wary as well while leaning toward accepting the reservoir, which could provide badly needed irrigation for area farms. McCord has a sensible position, recognizing the value to agriculture and seeing potential for capturing what might otherwise become floodwater.

In Ceres and Patterson, Councilmen Bret Durossette and Dennis McCord respectively are prepared to step into the role of mayor.

This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 5:00 AM.