Voters on Tuesday ushered in the first female majority in Redding City Council history, OK’d the sale of 14 acres of public land to the McConnell Foundation—clearing the way for construction of a four-star Sheraton Hotel at Turtle Bay Exploration Park—and rejected a quarter-cent sales tax that was intended to bolster public safety.
In other races, according to unofficial election results released early Wednesday, Measure A, which would prohibit outdoor marijuana cultivation in unincorporated areas of Shasta County, was approved with 58 percent of the vote.
“This has really been a good day for Redding,” said Rocky Slaughter, the head of REVIVE, the group campaigning in support of Measure B to approve the Turtle Bay land sale. “We’re going to wake up to a new landscape.”
Measure B passed with 53.1 percent of the vote with all 56 of the city’s precincts counted. At issue is the sale of 14 acres of land to the McConnell Foundation for $600,000. With Measure B’s success, the sale will allow Turtle Bay to develop a hotel on the property to boost the nonprofit park’s revenue.
Opponents, led by the Northeastern California Building and Construction Trades Council, argue the city is selling the property for pennies on the dollar to let Turtle Bay avoid having to pay prevailing wages during construction of the hotel.
Slaughter estimated 100 people turned out at Hot Shots Family Billiards on Bechelli Lane to wait for election returns. With the election over, Slaughter said REVIVE will disband and return in a few weeks as a nonprofit organization committed to revitalizing Redding’s economy.
In the City Council race, six candidates were vying for three seats. Incumbent Patrick Jones lost his seat after two terms, securing only 13.24 percent of the vote; he was trailed only by businessman Mike Quinn, another conservative candidate, who had received nine fewer votes, or 13.22 percent.
Brent Weaver, who campaigned the hardest, was the clear leader with 24 percent; Kristen Schreder was securely in second with 19 percent; and incumbent Francie Sullivan secured another term with 15.79 percent, a 750-vote lead over her closest challenger, Michael Dacquisto, who ended up with 14.27 percent.
“The vote tonight sends a loud message that people want to see civility and cooperation” on the council, Weaver said by phone from his home. That cordial teamwork will be necessary to tackle the city’s most pressing issue—public safety—in the near future, he said.
As far as the campaign itself, which Weaver launched a year ago, the business owner described it as “an unbelievable amount of work, and you can’t do it without a good team around you.”
Kristen Schreder, a Shasta Union High School District trustee and former chair of the Women’s Fund of the Shasta Regional Community Foundation, also was a diligent campaigner. She said she’s now ready to join her fellow councilors in helping Police Chief Robert Paoletti implement his action plan.
“We need to prioritize whatever money is available to the city for the programs he’s identified,” Schreder said, including the possibility of hiring more sworn officers and community service officers if possible.
Schreder also expressed a keen interest in improving Redding’s sagging economy. “We need to help our job situation and help businesses to locate in Redding,” she said.
Schreder will join with Sullivan and Councilwoman Missy McArthur to form the first female majority in the council’s history, although she downplayed the significance of the new composition. “I don’t like labels, or to be characterized like that. It’s all about doing a good job at whatever you’re elected to do. We need to be thorough and make good decisions.”
Sullivan said one of her goals is to improve the relationship between the council and the community. “We need to figure out a better way of communicating with the community. We need more community spirit—more people who feel good about living here.”
Improving public safety—especially with voters rejecting Measure F, the proposed quarter-cent sales tax hike to bolster police and jail forces—is another challenge, Sullivan said. “We have to find a way to come together and find a way to make criminals feel unwelcome.”
Noting that Measure F received 55 percent of the vote (as a proposed sales tax increase, it needed a two-thirds majority to pass), despite not receiving any support from the Redding Chamber of Commerce, Sullivan said “it shows you our community wants more law enforcement.”
Sullivan added she was “over the stars” with excitement at the prospect of working with the new council. “Working with people who are forward-thinking will be wonderful.”
Shasta County Clerk Cathy Darling Allen’s office reported that ballots from all 132 precincts had been counted shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday. Some 41,366 ballots were cast out of 97,933 registered voters for a turnout of 42.21 percent.
For complete election results, visit http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CA/Shasta/53996/147858/Web01/en/summary.html
Jon Lewis is a freelance writer living in Redding. He has more than 30 years experience writing for newspapers and magazines. Contact him at jonpaullewis@gmail.com.
