Ten candidates make ballot for three Clovis City Council seats. Who’s on the list
Ten people will compete for three positions on the Clovis City Council in November, nine of them fresh faces to local government in the county’s second-largest city.
Fresno County Clerk James Kus listed those qualifying for the November ballot on Thursday.
Outgoing Mayor Jose Flores, a 24-year veteran of Clovis government, hoped the city could keep its small-town feel and collegiality as it grows into a city with a population of 113,000.
Those on the ballot will be:
- Matt Basgall, former Clovis police chief
- Drew M. Bessinger, retired chief of police and public safety manager for Fresno Yosemite International Airport
- Diane Pearce, a small business owner
- Josh Phanco, a small business owner
- Martin Salas, a police officer
- Guy Redner, no designation
- Mark Allen Kazanjian, a business owner
- Kyle T. Cheney, a Realtor and father
- Des Haus a businesswoman and mother
- John Hebert, a parks director
Bessinger is the only incumbent on the present council, which also includes Flores, Mayor Pro Tem Lynne Ashbeck and Vong Mouanoutoua. Councilmember Bob Whalen is resigning because he was elected a Fresno Superior Court judge earlier in 2022.
Flores, police chief of the State Center Community College District and a former Fresno County Sheriff’s captain, said he believes that his time on the council both as mayor and a council member has been marked by “stability and smart growth...creative growth...the city has been nimble to see the trends to do the right thing.”
But he added that future growth will make it a challenge to maintain the city’s “small-town feel.”
He said Clovis has a tradition of hiring the right people for city manager, police chief, fire chief and city planner, along “with a bench of people ready to go when there is turnover” at the top.
In Clovis, council members are selected at-large, meaning the top three vote-getters will be picked by the city’s entire voting pool. In contrast, Fresno council candidates are chosen from designated districts. Flores believes the advantage is that Clovis council members look out for the interests of the entire city. In answer to those who might argue that a council chosen at large might be less diverse, he noted Clovis Council members include a “Hispanic, a Hmong, and a female.”
The challenge, he added, will be for the city to continue that tradition.
This story was originally published August 18, 2022 at 3:49 PM.