Election night final: Gallegos leads against incumbent, two others in Madera mayoral race
A tight race remained among Madera’s four mayoral candidates at the end of Tuesday, but the vote count posted just before midnight indicates District 1 City Councilmember Cece Gallegos could be the city’s next leader.
As of 11:51 p.m. Tuesday night, Gallegos led the race with 3,305 votes, or 35.23%, while the incumbent Mayor Santos Garcia, who is seeking a second term, came in second with 3,063 votes, or 32.65%. Gallegos could not be reached by phone Wednesday morning, but she took to Facebook with an optimistic post.
“Thank you for the endless support I have received from all of you!” she wrote on Facebook. “To bigger better things for the City of Madera.”
Garcia told The Bee Fresno Bee on Wednesday morning that he will wait until all the votes have been counted to comment officially. The next vote count will be posted by Friday at 5 p.m.
Government revenue consultant Wayne Padilla, who worked as the city’s finance director more than two decades ago, had 1,788 votes, or 19.06%. Madera Unified School Board President Lucy Salazar ended the night with 1,224 votes, or 13.05%.
Typically – but not always – returns compiled at the end of Election Night reflect percentages similar to the final confirmed result when all of the counting is completed and the election certified. That could take up to four weeks after Election Day.
Garcia was first elected to the Madera City Council in 2018 and then to the mayoral seat in 2020. He campaigned on the improvement to the city’s budget, which ran on a deficit for several years before he was elected to the City Council.
Gallegos, the current council’s longest-serving member, was first elected in the city’s District 1 in 2016. She too has campaigned on the city’s budget improvement and has said she is ready to lead Madera into the future. Gallegos lost a bid for Madera County supervisor in March.
Salazar, a school board member in Madera since 2019, has noted her experience voting on issues that impact more than 20,000 students. She has criticized the current council’s divisiveness and said she intends to mold the city’s government into one that works together if she wins.
Padilla, who worked as the city’s financial director until 2005 and has also worked for other cities, campaigned on increasing public engagement to better inform government decisions. He leaned on his experience in government revenue consulting, noting the need to diversify Madera’s portfolio.
The city’s next mayor will lead the Madera City Council during a time frame likely to see large housing and commercial development plans materialize in town. The city is awaiting the construction of multiple master-planned communities that intend to add thousands of homes, and also the completion of the long-awaited North Fork Mono Casino and Resort west of Highway 99.
Elected officials expect the casino project to bring good jobs to Madera and spur more retailer interest in a town that has historically struggled to attract and retain stores that residents want. U.S. Census data shows the city’s population has grown about 11% since 2010. The mayor will have to balance the priorities of a population slated for continued growth, among them issues related to homelessness, infrastructure and local jobs opportunities.
Campaign funding
Garcia’s campaign operated with the largest budget by far. The incumbent’s campaign finance documents show his re-election bid had drawn $38,525 this calendar year as of Oct. 19, the most recent campaign finance filing deadline. On that date, Garcia had 3.5 times the amount at the disposal of Padilla, the candidate with the next-highest contribution total with $10,952.15 in his war chest.
Padilla previously said he would be self-funding much of his campaigning, and his financial disclosures reflect that: Almost 60% of his total contribution amount is composed of loans from himself. Garcia’s campaign has made use of large monetary contributions, which in the last disclosure included: $5,000 from Land Valley Development LLC., $2,500 from a Fresno doctor named Leen Rimawi, $2,000 from Madera farmer Russell Harris and $1,000 from the campaign committee of State Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, D-Madera.
With $10,267.41 in her campaign fund, Salazar had the third-highest contribution total of the four mayoral candidates as of Oct. 19. The largest contribution received by her campaign in the reporting period that ended on that date came from the National Women’s Political Caucus, which donated $2,000 to Salazar’s mayoral bid.
Gallegos had the smallest financial war chest of the four candidates, with a total of $6,100 in contributions this calendar year as of Oct. 19. The councilmember previously said she would not be seeking out very many contributions, as this is her second election campaign this year. Farmer Fred Fagundes donated $2,500 to Gallegos’ campaign during the last reporting period.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:36 PM.
