Here’s how Sue Zwahlen connected with voters to become Modesto mayor
It’s too easy to say she won because she isn’t him.
It’s partly true that Sue Zwahlen prevailed over Doug Ridenour in Tuesday’s election for Modesto mayor because people associate him with the last five years of Modesto City Council dysfunction. Ridenour was a councilman that entire time and often was at the center of bitter conflicts that stained the council’s image beyond repair.
But Ridenour also had a lot going for him.
His name, for one. Jim Ridenour, Doug’s brother, was so popular as Modesto’s mayor a few years ago that he ran unopposed for reelection in 2006, an unusual feat. You can’t buy the kind of goodwill that comes with positive name recognition.
Doug Ridenour, a former Modesto police detective, enjoyed support of local police and fire unions — a formidable power that can’t be underestimated. The local Republican establishment also endorsed him. And, his long record of service to Modesto, both in his law enforcement career and on the council, is impressive, and his performance in debates was solid.
But the stain of dysfunction is powerful as well.
Of the seven members on the council (before the fall election gave us three new ones), five ran for public office in November. All lost.
For the record, they are Ridenour and outgoing Mayor Ted Brandvold (both gracious in defeat), Mani Grewal (who lost a race for state Senate, but subsequently was appointed to the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors), Kristi Ah You (who also sought the mayor’s seat, and endorsed Zwahlen after the first voting round) and Bill Zoslocki, the only one who keeps his council seat because he lost a supervisorial race halfway through his council term.
Members of that council are struggling to escape its bad mojo.
Voters’ “clean house” mood no doubt was heightened by national politics. People grew tired of antics in Washington, D.C. as well as in Modesto, and longed for a return to sanity.
Zwahlen came along at the right time.
Winning over Modesto voters
Tired of the insults and bickering, voters look at what she accomplished on the Modesto City Schools board — in difficult years plagued by recession — and they see an adult in the room.
Hoping for change after a string of five white men in the mayor’s seat, voters see a strong, capable woman.
Fatigued by mixed COVID messaging, voters look at Zwahlen’s 40-year nursing career and see a compassionate face they can trust.
Zwahlen, a Modesto native, has the rare ability to sit down and discuss prickly problems with someone who sees things from an opposing view, and leave that person with the feeling they’ve been heard. She knows how to say “no” and retain respect. She has spent four decades building enormous community depth through tireless service with Interfaith Ministries, Latino groups and various panels tackling homelessness, strengthening families, beautification and more.
People remember these things.
The Zwahlen name may not be as recognized as “Ridenour,” but it’s still a plus. Her husband, Lynn, is a longtime Modesto dentist and former football coach at Grace Davis and Downey. Their son Aaron was a record-setting Downey quarterback, and daughter Annie was a Davis soccer star. Perhaps unconsciously, people think “success” when they hear “Zwahlen.”
Other intangibles include welcome support from Congressman Josh Harder, D-Turlock. He and Zwahlen have figured out how to appeal to many on the right in addition to the left, a winning combination for future generations in this purple region.
So yes, there is some truth to the notion that voters went for Zwahlen because she represents a break from what we’ve had. But they also went for Zwahlen — in a landslide that surprised most of us (58% to 42%, with some votes yet to count) — because of who she is.
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 1:25 PM.
