Challenger signs on to Clovis race

Attorney opposed to tax hike will face two council incumbents.

Published online on Monday, Dec. 08, 2008

In the final hours of the last day to file nomination papers, a Clovis man became the only challenger Friday to two Clovis City Council incumbents in the March 3 election.

Fresno County elections officials must confirm the signatures of Clovis registered voters who signed the nomination papers for Douglas Foster, but he said Friday that he collected 35 signatures -- more than required -- for his nomination petition.

Foster, 36, is an attorney. He said he has been considering a run for the council for a few weeks. If his nomination papers are approved, Foster will challenge Lynne Ashbeck and Nathan Magsig, both of whom are seeking third terms as Clovis City Council members. The top two vote-getters will earn seats on the council.

The main issue for Foster is the sales-tax issue that also will be on the March 3 ballot. "We need to encourage businesses and bring them into the community, not drive them away with higher taxes and fees," Foster said.

Magsig and Ashbeck voted to approve the ballot measure. They were joined by Council Members Harry Armstrong and Jose Flores.

Mayor Bob Whalen was opposed to the plan, which, if approved, would raise the city's sales tax a penny for 10 years and three-quarters of a cent afterward.

Foster said he knows Whalen, who also is an attorney, but had not consulted with the mayor at length about seeking the council seat.

Foster said he had "a hurried conversation in the breezeway at the courthouse" a couple of weeks ago with Whalen and told him he was considering seeking the council seat.

Foster lives on the west side of Clovis, an area he describes as not a top priority for the city.

Ashbeck, a regional vice president for a hospital advocacy organization, said the sales-tax measure is much more complicated than raising dollars for the city.

"It's not a single-issue race," she said. "The issues facing our city are complicated. We are in a difficult time and the sales tax is one issue facing our voters and they will have the opportunity to vote on that directly."

Magsig said he looks forward to being held accountable for his decisions as a council member.

"I serve at the pleasure of Clovis residents, and this is part of the process," said Magsig, executive director of a nonprofit group that builds affordable housing. "This is a healthy process, and it's good for the voters to be able to have a choice."