On December 4th, Yuba County Clerk Terry Hansen completed a 3-day recount of the November 3rd Marysville Mayoral election and concluded that there was no change in the outcome. The election was originally certified with Chris Branscum receiving 1645, City Councilmember Stephanie McKenzie 1641, and Mayor Ricky Samayoa 618 votes
After 3-days of recounting ballots Branscum gained 2-votes for a 6-vote lead over McKenzie. Branscum had been sworn-in as Mayor on December 1 prior to the recount. If the process had changed the outcome McKenzie would have been sworn in to replace Branscum.
In most elections incumbents have a distinct and often insurmountable advantage. However, in this campaign, newcomer Branscum challenged Councilmember McKenzie and Mayor Samayoa. Branscum outdistanced both incumbents, though conducting his first attempt at elected office.
Yuba County voters also turned away two single-term Supervisors, Mike Leahy and Doug Lofton in the March 2020 primary and then in the November general election incumbents McKenzie and Samayoa in favor of newcomers. The question is why when it is so difficult to remove incumbents.
Supervisors Leahy and Lofton voted for the deceptive Measure K Sales Tax increase that is now being litigated in Appellate Court after being invalidated in Yuba County Superior Court. The Measure K media campaign deceived voters. The Measure has removed more than $6 million in additional sales taxes from residents as Supervisors have prolonged the legal fight.
In addition, the Supervisors violated the Constitution by using county revenue to fund a campaign to extract more tax monies. They again used the people’s money to hire a private law firm to defend their illegal and fraudulent scheme.
Though Leahy and Lofton were each paid about $90,000 annually neither seemed interested enough in the job to motivate them to campaign earnestly for another 4 years.
While Marysville Council Members congratulated one another on their accomplishments during the December 1st meeting they ignored decisions that troubled voters - over $3 million in fines from the Department of Water Resources, an additional 1% sales tax for 10 years, a 32% increase in sewer fees, unwise decisions costing the city a fortune in a failed attempt to clean-up Ellis Lake, expending nearly $400,000 for a city park water well and no significant changes in policies to attract businesses to the city.
The fact that California Water Service contributed $5,000 to Samayoa’s campaign while the company engages in rate rape of Marysville residents may have hurt the Mayor’s chances. Cal Water rates have turned Marysville properties brown and dead. The council is no friend of residents when it comes to water costs.
Recently, Mayor Samayoa and council members Brad Hudson and Bruce Buttacavoli cost the city more than $100,000 in a quirky move to fire City Manager Marti Brown. Brown actually did the work to get the city on solid financial footing for which the council took credit. This hairbrained decision occurred just 90 days before the manager’s contract ended and just prior to the election.
Finally, though the City Council is not the United States Senate the 5 members do represent 12,000 residents and should be community role models. People appreciate a sense of decorum and being circumspect in speech when members address one another or those in attendance.
Council members are there to do the people’s business not vent their hurt feelings or make veiled digs at meetings. This isn’t high school. When a council member prefaces personal comments with “I don’t have anything prepared, I just speak off the cuff,” and then starts whining, the remedy is to be prepared, measure your words and grow-up.
Proverbs 17:28 says, “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.” The Psalmist (141:3) wrote “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!”
(Get Lou’s podcast at “No Hostages Radio” and his articles at nohostagesradio.com)
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