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Stanislaus County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
Measure M
Term of Mayor
City of Patterson
Majority Approval Required

Fail: 1,373 / 37.75% Yes votes ...... 2,264 / 62.25% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures
Results as of Nov 18 4:21pm, 100.0% of Precincts Reporting (13/13)
Information shown below: Impartial Analysis | Arguments |

Shall the term of office of Mayor be changed from two (2) years to four (4) years effective at the election for Mayor on November 6, 2012?

Impartial Analysis from the City Attorney
Under the California Government Code the term of office of an elected Mayor of a General Law City may be either two years or four years. The current term of office for the elected Mayor of the City of Patterson is two years. This measure would change the term of office for the position of elected Mayor from two years to four years, which is the same term of office for Council members.

     If approved by the voters, the new longer term of office would not take effect until the next election for Mayor which will be held on November 6, 2012. The current elected Mayor will continue to serve his/her two year term until its expiration on November 6, 2012.

          This measure will not change the legal duties and responsibilities of the office of Mayor.

          If the measure does not pass by a majority vote (50% + 1), the term of office of the Mayor will remain at two years.

/s/ Thomas Hallinan
Interim City Attorney
City of Patterson, California

   Official Information

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Arguments For Measure M Arguments Against Measure M
The term of office of the Mayor of Patterson should be changed from two years to four years.

The elected Mayor of the City of Patterson acts as the official spokesperson and representative of the City and the City Council, and assumes the lead role in formulating policy direction for the City on a broad range of issues.

To determine policy direction for the City, the Mayor needs sufficient time in office to become familiar with the current operation of the various City departments and the City's financial circumstances. Proper mapping of policy direction requires that the Mayor spend a considerable amount of time consulting with citizens, other Council members and the City's professional management team.

Experience has demonstrated that a mayoral term of two years is far too short to allow an adequate period of time to establish and implement meaningful policies, goals and objectives for the City.

By the time policies, goals and objectives for the City have been established, their implementation is disrupted by the necessity of another mayoral election. If a new Mayor is elected, progress is further delayed to allow the new Mayor time to transition into the governmental process.

Council members are elected for a four year term. The term of Mayor should be the same. All major cities in Stanislaus County (Ceres, Modesto, Turlock, Oakdale and Riverbank) have four year terms for their Mayors.

This change will benefit the citizens of Patterson by adding greater stability to the leadership function and facilitating the prompt and orderly implementation of City policies, goals and objectives. As your elected representatives we recommend that you vote in favor of this measure.

/s/ Becky Campo, Mayor
/s/ Annette Smith, Councilmember
/s/ Dominic Farinha, Councilmember
/s/ E. "Sam" Cuellar, Jr., Councilmember
/s/ Dejeune Shelton, Councilmember

None Filed

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