Firebaugh residents will need a scorecard for the Nov. 7 local election, where there are nine candidates for two seats on the City Council, three candidates for city treasurer and two candidates for city clerk.
The council races pits incumbent Dr. Marcia Sablan against John Baltierra, Chris De Francesco, Brady Jenkins Jr., Brent Kreighbaum, Rod Lake, Ron Leyva, Ray Maldonado Jr. and David Van Pelt.
City Clerk Dorice Fannon is being challenged by Priscilla Meza, an associate director of the Carmen Meza Center in Firebaugh; and City Treasurer Audra Hughes faces competition from Alice Castaneda, co-owner of a Sugar N' Spice Doughnuts, and bus driver Jim Lowe.
Mayor George Conklin Jr. is not running for re-election. Council members Craig Knight, Clyde Fannon and Javier Marquez have two years left in their four-year terms.
Firebaugh, with a population of 6,710, lies along the San Joaquin River, 43 miles northwest of Fresno. Firebaugh is at a crossroads because the city's small-town atmosphere makes it a desirable place to live, but there are few job opportunities, City Manager Jose Antonio Ramirez said.
That's because the city's fortunes are linked to the lettuce, melons and other crops grown in the area. This year's closure of De Francesco & Sons, an onion and garlic dehydrator, contributed to the city's 20.6% unemployment rate. At its peak, the family-run company employed 400 people, about 215 of them full-time workers.
Ramirez said the city's future looks bright because it has received more than $10.5 million in grant money to improve the city's waste-water treatment and water-distribution plants. There's also $2 million in grant money to upgrade Highway 33, which cuts through town.
He said the election is important because "we can continue to move forward or take a few steps back."
All of the candidates are longtime Firebaugh residents who say public service is their motive for running. The council position pays nothing, but council members are eligible for health benefits. The city treasurer receives a monthly stipend of $20 a month plus health benefits, and the city clerk receives $50 a month plus health benefits.
The elected positions require no formal qualifications other than candidates must live in the city and be registered to vote.
Treasurer
Hughes, 65, a retired Firebaugh dry-cleaning business owner, was elected treasurer in 2002. Her duties include attending council meetings and being on-call when city officials ask her to sign checks. She said the job "keeps me involved."
Castaneda, 48, said she she wants "to get a foot in the door, to find out what's going on behind closed doors." She touts an associate degree in business and an accounting certificate from West Hills College and her prior experience as manager of Giant Burger.
Lowe, 58, works for the Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission's transit division and said he has the government experience to do the treasurer's job. He served two terms on the City Council and was on the Planning Commission for five years. He said he resigned from the commission in September.
"I bring honesty and a clear conscience to the job," he said.
City clerk
Dorice Fannon, 72, said her city clerk's job includes taking council minutes, signing ordinances and resolutions, and swearing in police officers and council members. She said she spends two or three days a week at City Hall.
"I do it because I love my city and I love the people here," she said. Her husband, Clyde Fannon, is on the City Council.
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