Fresno’s Mayor Dyer cruising to a second term. Here’s what’s happening for City Council
Mayor Jerry Dyer appears headed to an easy re-election victory as returns from Tuesday’s primary election roll in throughout the evening.
A pair of seats on the Fresno City Council were also being contested Tuesday, and one other council member was unopposed.
In the mayor’s race, Dyer was receiving 81.7% of the votes cast as of 1 a.m. Wednesday and was on his way to handily avoiding a runoff in the November general election.
Two other candidates, high school teacher James Barr and stay-at-home mom Samantha Dussell, received 12.7% and 5.6% of the vote, respectively, in the early returns. The mayor’s race also included one certified write-in candidate, Richard Renteria.
“I’m humbled and very thankful to the people who have given me an opportunity to finish what we started,” Dyer told The Fresno Bee on Tuesday night. “I’m grateful for the outcome. I never thought we would be able to come in at 82% on the first returns. I hope the numbers stay there.”
“I want to continue with the momentum we had in the first term,” he added. “We want to work on revitalizing downtown and Chinatown with the money we received from the state, and continue to make sure we have the public safety resources we need, both police and fire.”
But “we’re going to be facing some difficult fiscal times as we move forward,” Dyer said. “We’re looking at a deficit of at least $10 million, and that could grow, so we need to be creative in how we provide services within that budget.”
Throughout his campaign, Dyer’s message focused on his administration’s efforts to beautify the city, move homeless people from the sides of freeways in the city, and strengthen public safety services including police and fire.
“Although we have made considerable progress removing large homeless encampments, and beautifying our neighborhoods, we frequently see tents, trash, graffiti, and blight in many parts of our city,” Dyer told The Bee in February. “And though violent crime has been dramatically reduced, residents and business are plagued daily with lower level crimes such as retail theft, vehicle and catalytic converter thefts, street racing, graffiti, and criminal activity associated with our unhoused community.”
Fresno City Council District 6
In northeast Fresno, the District 6 seat being vacated by term-limited incumbent Councilmember Garry Bredefeld attracted a field of four candidates and, as of early Wednesday morning, was headed for a November runoff between Roger Bonakdar and Nick Richardson.
Bonakdar, a local attorney had 35.9% of the votes, while Richardson, a fundraising consultant, had 28.0%.
Among the other candidates, businesswoman Molly Fagundes-Johnston garnered 23.1%, and businesswoman/bank executive Raj Sodhi-Layne picked up 13.0%.
The Bee was unable to contact Bonakdar for comment on the early returns. Richardson was cautiously optimistic about the early second-place results, “but we’ve got a thing in this family about counting chickens before they hatch.”
“As a Marine, there are a lot of battles that look really cool, but then afterward maybe not as much,” he told The Bee on Tuesday night. “Nothing’s in stone yet, but if this turns out to be a victory, first or second place, everything is due to the volunteers” that helped with his campaign.
If the early results hold, Richardson said, he’s looking forward to a summer campaign season ahead of a runoff. “When it’s hot outside and everything is sweaty and humid, my opponents don’t go outside,” he said. “I’m very confident where we stand.”
Fresno City Council District 2
In Fresno City Council District 2, two candidates on the ballot and one write-in candidate vied for votes from northwest Fresno residents.
In the early returns, incumbent Councilmember Mike Karbassi was leading challenger Matthew Gillian. Karbassi, who was elected in a special election in 2019 and won a full four-year term in 2020, received 74.1% of the as of early Wednesday. Gillian, a nonprofit executive director, had 25.9%.
”We’ll see what happens; there are plenty of votes to count,” Karbassi told The Bee on Tuesday night. But with the early returns, “I feel the same as I did when I won my first election in 2019, and that is grateful to the residents of northwest Fresno.”
“I’m very serious about this job,” he added. “I’m very serious about reducing violent crime” and other quality of life issues for residents in the district.
A write-in candidate, Januane “J.L” Smith, also was running.
Fresno City Council District 4
The District 4 seat on the Fresno City Council was also on the ballot for residents of east-central Fresno, but incumbent Tyler Maxwell was running unopposed for re-election.
This story was originally published March 5, 2024 at 8:26 PM.
