Reagan’s redemption; new Turlock city manager Wilson deserves a clean slate
On Tuesday, the United States’ Lindsey Jacobellis — whose brash hot-dogging cost her Olympic gold 14 years ago in snowboard cross — came all the way back, finally standing tall atop the medal platform after a spectacular winning run in China.
Six thousands miles away in Turlock, Reagan Wilson — whose brash abuse of taxpayer money for self-indulgence 18 years ago cost him his job as Stanislaus County CEO — came all the way back, standing tall while taking the oath of office to become city manager.
Wilson had managed the county for 10 years when it all came tumbling down as friends of mine who no longer work at The Bee took a deep dive into his personal business ventures and travel expenses. They found that Wilson had been living large on the public dime, staying in luxury hotels, buying him and his companion massages and blowing through $230,000 in travel expenses in six years.
Wilson resigned in disgrace, no two ways about it. My friends and co-workers, Jeff Jardine and Mike Mooney, won well-deserved awards for investigative journalism. And we’ve heard almost nothing about Wilson ever since.
I remember calling him a few years ago. I don’t remember why, except I was looking for a quote and thought he might be willing to talk. He politely said he was happy farming and staying out of the public spotlight, and that was that.
Many were astonished when it became clear that Turlock’s yearlong search for a city manager concluded with a recommendation to hire Wilson. Part of The Bee’s job is calling on institutional memory to put proposals in context. We did that in an editorial earlier this week, and we stand by it. What he did was a corrupt betrayal of the public trust.
So why could I not stop smiling when I remotely watched Tuesday’s council meeting?
There is something to be said for anyone having the courage to come back after such a fall from grace.
Knowing he would be pilloried in the newspaper, knowing that returning to public life would reopen old wounds, he still dared to return. It’s unheard of for top appointed officials not to negotiate hefty severance pay for a soft landing when they inevitably are fired, but Wilson didn’t, suggesting humility.
People love a good redemption story, whether on a world stage at the Olympics or in a council meeting chamber in Turlock.
The will to fight on when everyone has dismissed you — we eat that up, sports fans and political junkies alike. It’s a powerful testament to the human spirit. It’s a thrill to taste victory 18 long years after the agony of defeat.
Give Wilson a chance
Both points of view on Wilson’s story are valid. He committed an unpardonable sin, and we admire his comeback.
Turlock Council Members Andrew Nosrati and Nicole Larson were not wrong to vote against hiring Wilson. And Pam Franco and Rebecka Monez were not wrong to join Mayor Amy Bublak in giving Wilson, 72, a fresh start.
The scorched-earth approach we’re seeing play out in national politics — one side obstructing the other at all costs, regardless of a proposal’s merit — is a travesty. How did we become so divided that the only thing some care about is winning?
That must not happen locally.
Reagan Wilson is Turlock’s city manager. The council’s minority bloc must respect the will of the majority. To their credit, both Larson and Nosrati said they will work with and support their city manager, and the rest of Turlock should follow their lead.
Wilson has his work cut out for him. Working with a divided council is never easy, even without chronic homelessness, a revolving door of top-level administrators and an emerging fight over the location of the future ACE train depot. Getting Turlock back on track will take creativity and tenacity.
Tenacity shouldn’t be a problem.
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
