Two men run for Lodi City Council District 2
Incumbent Mark Chandler will be challenged by Spencer Rhoads for the Lodi City Council District 2 seat when voters hit the polls for the Nov. 6 general election.
Chandler has served on the council since 2014, and served as mayor in 2016. He is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and served as executive of the Lodi Winegrape Commission from 1991 to 2011.
Rhoads works as a legislative analyst for the Warner, Pank, Salzillo & Sanchez Group, a consulting firm based in Sacramento. He is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento, volunteers as a drummer at First Baptist Church of Lodi and volunteers with Take Back Lodi.
One of the biggest issues facing Lodi is the city’s pension crisis, with retirement costs soaring and outpacing new revenue. City officials project that the city could be insolvent in just a few years without the passage of Measure L, a proposed half-cent sales tax increase on the ballot.
Chandler supports Measure L on the grounds that it would help maintain critical services in addition to helping cover pension costs, while Rhoads opposes the measure on the grounds that it would only delay the city’s budget problems for future officials to address.
Other major issues facing the city are homelessness, affordable housing and future growth.
Chandler and Rhoads touched on these issues and more in a questionnaire sent from the News-Sentinel. See their responses on
Why are you running for city council? I have spent over 25 years of my career making Lodi a better place to live, and I would like to continue that quest. The next four years will require seasoned leadership to keep our fiscal house in good order. Having been on the council since 2014 and serving as mayor in 2016, I have deep experience in city issues. I would like to apply my leadership capabilities and experience for the benefit of all Lodi citizens.
Why are you the best candidate for the District 2 seat? Since 1991 I have provided significant leadership to the Lodi community. I was CEO of the Lodi Winegrape Commission from 1991-2011 where I helped transform the local wine industry to the prosperous state we enjoy today, creating hundreds of jobs in wineries and expanding the local hospitality industry. I was also the driving force behind the creation of the Lodi Conference and Visitor Bureau. I seek to continue this trend in contributing to the growth of the local economy and the creation of jobs that help put money into the pockets of our citizens.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish? First of all, I would like to bolster our public safety efforts, as crime and homelessness have become top priorities. I would work to help the local economy expand, creating jobs not only in the wine and hospitality sector, but also in the manufacturing sector. I would also like the city to do everything in its power to assist the World of Wonders Science Museum complete its planned expansion across Sacramento Street, which would be a boon to downtown.
What role should a city serve and how can you measure success? The city is the creator and maintainer of a high quality of life. We play a key role in helping existing businesses to expand, and attracting new businesses to Lodi to create employment, economic activity and sales tax revenues We maintain a safe and clean environment, try to keep our neighborhoods free of crime, and all city services, such as utilities, operate at high efficiency and reasonable cost. The measures of success are reduced call for service in the police department, and the highest reliability numbers in the utilities. Those are all easily measurable.
How can Lodi better serve its citizens? We must restore the police department to its full complement of 71 officers, and expand it by 10 percent, if not more. Public safety is the city’s No. 1 priority and responsibility, and we need to do significantly better there. The Planning Department needs to expedite its processes in a more timely manner to minimize construction delays. We also need to improve the customer service experience across all departments.
Who’s a leader you admire and why? Thomas Jefferson. I have a whole shelf of books on him, and I have visited his home at Monticello twice. He was a leader of the Revolution, author of the Declaration of Independence, two-time governor of Virginia, our nation’s third president, and he created the University of Virginia. He was a farmer and family man, a staunch supporter of individual property rights, and he believed in a limited Federal government. And he loved wine.
Your thoughts on
Measure L Fully 64 percent of general fund goes to public safety (police and fire), so this will be key to our being able to maintain and expand those critical services. If it passes, funds will go to restore parks and to perform costly deferred maintenance. And funds will be applied to help offset the mounting pension obligations that threaten to force the city into bankruptcy. Keep in mind, 25 percent of the city’s sales tax revenue is generated by visitors to our area, reducing the burden on our local taxpayers. The added cost will be about $5 per person per month.
Homelessness The Lodi City Council has put numerous resources together to mitigate the homeless situation. I personally serve on the Long-Term Solutions Committee, where we are seeking housing solutions and cooperating with the County in the Continuum of Care program. Homeless liaison officers have helped over 80 people get off the streets. Those who remain are being cited for illegal behavior, drug possession, unlicensed bikes and dogs, etc. Chief Patterson has deployed Special Enforcement Teams to conduct this work. There is an experimental plan that uses the former Honor Farm in Stockton for housing and job training that is showing promise.
Affordable housing Hotel Lodi is the longest serving affordable housing venue in Lodi. After 13 years of effort in 2016 the 80-unit Eden apartment complex opened near Target. Other projects are in the pipeline such as the apartments in the Reynolds Ranch development. The city zoning code makes allowances for affordable housing, and some small lot construction on infill projects have resulted.
Service priorities Clearly restoring adequate numbers of officers in the police department ranks highly in the public’s concern. Violent and property crime reduction and gang intervention are at the top of the list, then more quality of life concerns like code enforcement, good streets, affordable water and electricity service, Hutchins Street Square, library, parks, etc.
Economic development/job creation The council has approved several hotel applications to help serve our burgeoning wine tourism industry. We are also about to hire a candidate to fill our vacant Economic Development Manager position. That person can reach out to high tech firms in the Bay Area who may be interested in lowering their costs by moving to Lodi. We own our own electric utility, which allows us to offer preferential energy rates cheaper than PG&E.
Growth policies While we have had a spurt of growth these past three years, Lodi continues to grow at less than 1 percent per year. This is part of the reason our resources are stretched thin. Lodians value the ag land that surrounds our community. We have 65,000 people living on only 12 square miles of land, a relatively small footprint. As a farmer, I favor a balanced growth approach, where the conversion of ag land to residential or commercial purposes is adjacent to existing development, and is consistent with the General Plan.
Public employee salaries/pensions/benefits Lodi City employees are a talented, loyal and hardworking group. While there is a perception that they are overpaid, In most cases they are earning under their industry’s pay grade and could make more money by moving elsewhere. The council is currently negotiating contract renewals with the nine bargaining units that serve us. Unions and management are respectful of the financial demands on the city. In 2016 the council initiated a Pension Stabilization Fund that all “spare” dollars are invested in. To date there is over $9 million in the fund, which will help us through this crisis.
State vs. local control State mandates often frustrate municipalities. The worst example is the release of inmates from prisons and jails due to the passage of AB109. Now violent and property crimes in Lodi are common, forcing wait times for police response to become longer. Also, the governor just signed AB100, which mandates 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. This may have cost effects that will negatively affect our rate payers, some of whom are already pressed to the limit. I have maintained good relations with our state representatives in the Assembly and Senate in an attempt to rein in state government.
Marijuana ordinances The council has declined to allow dispensaries or deliveries of cannabis within Lodi city limits. A current bill in the legislature seeks to force all municipalities to allow deliveries. Another case of the state pushing its weight over municipalities.
Taxpayer Accountability Managing the city’s finances is very much like running your household. You do your best to get the most mileage out of your revenue, keep expenses down, maintain a rainy day fund, and manage your credit. You live within your means. At the council we conduct all our business in open meetings, and we invite the public’s input and feedback.