Council race features five campaigners
by TP staff
Aug 09, 2012 | 2165 views | 3 3 comments | 4 4 recommendations | email to a friend | print
As of noon Thursday, five people had lined up to campaign for two seats on the Tracy City Council, though no one had filed papers to challenge Mayor Brent Ives or Treasurer Ray McCray.

According to the city clerk’s office, Ives will run unopposed for a fourth two-year mayoral term in the Nov. 6 general election. Anyone who wishes to challenge him has until 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10, to file the appropriate paperwork at City Hall, 333 Civic Center Plaza.

Ives has served on the City Council since 1992 and would be termed out of the mayor’s office after his next two-year term.

McCray will also run unopposed if no one else submits papers. He has served as city treasurer since 1995.

The City Council race is more crowded.

Mayor Pro Tem Michael Maciel will defend his council seat and seek another four-year term. The retired Tracy police officer was first elected in 2008.

Challenging him will be Roger Birdsall, Charles Manne, Raymond Morelos and Nancy Young.

The seat of Councilman Steve Abercrombie is also up for grabs, as Abercrombie announced earlier this year he would not run for another term.

According to campaign finance documents filed with the city of Tracy, Maciel collected $975 in donations during the first six months of 2012.

Birdsall, a member of the city’s Economic Development Committee and a former business owner, raised $13,375 in cash in the same time period, according to the documents.

Manne collected $3,209 in cash and lent his campaign $625 between January and June. Manne is a financial services provider with New York Life.

Morelos owns El Castillo restaurant downtown and has been active with the South Side Community Organization. He hadn’t raised enough money to require submitting a report, according to Carole Fleischmann in the city clerk’s office.

Young, an expert in project management who finished fourth among nine candidates in the 2010 City Council race, raised $1,675 during the first six months of the year.

The seat of Councilman Bob Elliott, elected in 2010, could also open up this year. Elliott is running against Tracy Planning Commissioner Rhodesia Ransom for the 5th District seat on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.

If Elliott, who was the top vote-getter in the June 5 primary, won in November, his seat on the council would become vacant, and the council could either appoint someone to serve the remainder of his four-year council term or choose to have a special election.

• Contact Jon Mendelson at 830-4231 or jmendelson@tracypress.com.

Comments
(3)
Comments-icon Post a Comment
debbdaves
|
August 09, 2012
i am sure janet theissen will come back to tracy to vote for tommyosamabahama who writes his comments on city times from behind his policing desk.
RedHotChilliPeppers
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August 09, 2012
As a practical joke, I will be writing in a vote for tommybahama. His off the wall comments would be great fodder to keep the local newspaper in business. You are welcome to join me in helping the local economy.
tommybahama
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August 09, 2012
I enjoy your enthusiasm and sense of humor RHCP.

And thank you for your support of the local economy.


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