Top issue for new Reedley council member: growth

Published online on Thursday, Sep. 28, 2006

Originally published in The Fresno Bee and on FresnoBee.com on September 27, 2006.

The two candidates vying for an open seat on the Reedley City Council are longtime friends, but have contrasting backgrounds and different views on how to help a city that's in a growth bind.

Mary Fast, 51, and Gus Reyes, 75, are seeking the open seat in Council District 2, which is the city's inner core.

Mayor Ray Soleno, 66, who has been a council member 21 years, is running unopposed in Council District 4, which represents the westerly and southwesterly areas of the city.

Reedley, 25 miles southeast of Fresno, has a population of 23,341, making it the third largest city in Fresno County, according to the state Department of Finance. Fresno, followed by Clovis, are the two largest cities.

Reedley, however, can't grow much larger because its sewer treatment plant is near capacity, said Soleno.

A new sewer plant won't come on line for several years, making it difficult to attract new development, which means no new property or sales taxes, the lifeblood of funding city services.

Fast and Reyes said they both understand the city's predicament.

Fast said she doesn't have anything critical to say about city officials who put the city in a growth bind. She said she looks forward to working with them, if elected.

Reyes, however, said: "They let too many homes get built. You can't go anywhere on an empty tank."

He's also upset that hard-working, blue-collared employees have left the city either through layoffs or because of dissatisfaction with city officials.

Reedley is divided into five council districts. Council members are paid $150 a month and their term is four years.

In 2004, voters for the first time cast ballots for candidates in Districts 1, 3, and 5, City Clerk Elizabeth Vines said. On Nov. 7, residents will cast ballots for the first time for Districts 2 and 4. Once the election is certified, the council will elect a mayor.

Soleno said the city is a desirable place to live because it is next to the Kings River and is home to Reedley College.

Fast and Reyes raised their families in Reedley and are former city employees.

They also have never run for local government before and promise to run low-budget campaigns. Their similarities end there.

Fast is a finance manager with a bachelor's degree in recreation management from California State University, Fresno. She worked for the city in the late 1970s developing programs for seniors.

Fast also was a member on the city's parks and recreation commission and on the city's commission on aging.

Fast said her background in finance, accounting and management will help her as a city council member. She said finding grant money will be a priority.

Reyes said he has a unique perspective of the city, having worked for the city's public works department for 21 years.

He said he was the city's first public works inspector and retired from the city in 1991 as public works superintendent.

A veteran of the Korean War, Reyes said he doesn't have a high school diploma, nor did he go to college.

Instead, he said, he built his life by listening to others, learning what they had to offer and working as a member of a team.

The reporter can be reached at plopez@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6434.