Closely contested mayor’s race decided in Madera. Here’s who won the seat
Mathematically, there is no way for Cece Gallegos to lose the Madera mayoral race.
Gallegos, a teacher at Madera Unified and District 1 City Councilmember, has led the four-candidate mayoral race from the start, with incumbent Mayor Santos Garcia closely behind in second place. On Friday, Gallegos held 5,283 votes, or 35.18%, while Garcia had 5,023 votes, or 33.45%. The two other mayoral candidates, government revenue consultant Wayne Padilla and Madera Unified Trustee Lucy Salazar, held 17.87% and 13.49% of the vote.
Gallegos’ 260-vote lead over Garcia puts almost any potential re-election situation out of Garcia’s reach. Friday’s report shows that zero unprocessed ballots remain in Madera, and that 209 challenged ballots remain countywide. Even if all of those ballots were cured, pertained to city of Madera voters and were in favor of Garcia, he would remain 51 votes behind Gallegos.
Garcia told The Fresno Bee on Friday that he is waiting until the results are certified to make an official statement. Gallegos could not be reached Friday for comment.
Gallegos was first elected to the Madera council in 2016, when then-City Manager David Tooley received more than $337,000 in pay and benefits as the city ran a budget deficit. Garcia was first elected to the City Council in 2018 and then to the mayoral seat in 2020.
During their campaigns for this election, Gallegos and Garcia both pointed out that the city has stabilized its budget during the time they have served. Their years on the council have also seen movement on plans that could lead to major residential and commercial growth for the city of 66,000.
These plans include a North Fork Mono Casino and Resort slated for Gallegos’ northwest district, which broke ground this summer and is expected to generate jobs and growth in Madera’s retail market.
Gallegos previously said she pushed for the casino to guarantee local hiring and also has said the city has planned responsibly, is increasing its water storage capacity and is ready for the looming growth. She is coming off an election loss in March, when she unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Madera County Board of Supervisors. Winning the city’s mayoral seat will charge Gallegos with leading a council that has been criticized during this election for its divisiveness.
In an interview before the election, Gallegos said she is the right person to lead the city.
“I’ve raised three beautiful children in this community,” she said. “I’m a teacher of 32 years. I’m financially conservative — I watch every penny that goes through the city. I’m the one that can lead this council forward.”
District 4: Evans wins
Anita Evans, the incumbent District 4 Madera City Councilmember, has held onto a strong lead in her race against challenger Derek Robinson since the first votes were reported on Election Night. On Friday, Evans had 882 votes, or 62.42%, while Robinson had 531 votes, or 37.58%. Mathematically, Evans has won this race, as she leads by 351 votes — well over the amount of challenged ballots remaining countywide.
Evans’ re-election bid against Robinson is a rematch from 2020, when she ousted then-incumbent Robinson from the District 4 council seat. That year, Evans won with more than 74% of the vote.
She told The Bee on Friday that she is still waiting until the election results are certified to make an official statement on her race.
During her campaign this year, Evans pointed out the traffic safety upgrades that have been planned and accomplished in District 4, a lower-income area and also the city’s most densely populated. She is known in Madera as an active community member who has helped organize Black History Month and Juneteenth events, as well as Christmas toy drives for the city’s children.
District 6: Villegas likely to win
Artemio Villegas, the incumbent District 6 City Councilmember, continues to hold a comfortable lead in his race against challenger John Jasper. On Friday, Villegas held 1,001 votes, or 52%, while Jasper held 924 votes, or 48%. That’s a difference of 77 votes.
It’s not clear how many of the county’s 209 challenged ballots pertain to voters in the city of Madera’s District 6. Villegas told The Bee on Friday that he is waiting until the election results are certified to make an official statement on his race.
Villegas, a retired farmworker, was first elected to the City Council in 2020. During this year’s campaign, he said he pushed for traffic safety upgrades near schools in District 6 that are set for construction, as well as public park upgrades that have been completed. Villegas ran his campaign on the relatability of his working class background, while Jasper emphasized his background as a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and law enforcement officer.
Jasper took an tight early lead in the race on Election Night. Villegas first surpassed Jasper in the vote count Nov. 8 and has kept his lead since then.
This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 4:18 PM.
