3 council candidates are running for Folsom’s District 3. Here’s where they stand
Folsom voters for the first time are electing City Council members to represent geographic districts. Incumbent Councilwoman Sarah Aquino, Folsom Planning Commissioner Bill Miklos and first-time candidate Albina Suarez-Ojedis are running for District 3, which covers neighborhoods south of Highway 50 as well as some neighborhoods on the eastern edge of the city.
Sarah Aquino
Party: No Party Preference
Age: 50
Birthplace: La Mesa
Residence: Folsom
Occupation: Life and health insurance broker
Education: Sacramento State, bachelor’s degree
Offices Held: Folsom City Council, December 2018 to present; Folsom Cordova Unified School District Board of Education, December 2014 to December 2018
Campaign Website: sarahaquino.com
This is the city’s first-year with district elections. What is your top priority for your neighborhood?
My priorities include continuing to find ways to ease congestion on East Bidwell Street, supporting construction of the Empire Ranch Road interchange, ensuring the development south of 50 reflects Folsom’s high standards and attention to detail, and funding additional positions to maintain our level of service. And though we are now electing our council members by district, I will continue to be accessible and responsive to all Folsom residents.
Thousands of new homes are being built on the city’s southern edge in the Folsom Ranch neighborhoods, but there are some questions about whether the city will have enough resources. Do you feel the city is prepared for the addition of these homes?
The city is well-prepared for the additional development south of 50 and is committed to ensuring that Folsom’s newest neighborhoods look, feel, and function as if they’ve always been part of the city. Nine parks are planned for south of 50 with the first scheduled to open in Summer 2023. Fire Station 34 is on track to open in November 2023. The city’s 2022-23 budget includes funding for seven new firefighters, a police officer, dispatcher, and animal control officer. The staffing plan calls for additional public safety personnel in the next five years and we’ll expedite those hires as funds allow.
What else can the city do to cut its water usage given that climate change is expected to reduce the region’s already tight water supply?
The city continues to be proactive about water conservation by conducting free “water wise” house calls, helping residents monitor their usage with the Dropcountr app, offering rebates for irrigation upgrades and water efficient toilets, etc. The city also models water conservation by letting non-functional turf go brown while prioritizing the watering of precious trees. The city is an active participant in the creation of the Sacramento Regional Water Bank for groundwater storage.
Bill Miklos
Party: Moderate Republican
Age: 69
Birthplace: Glendale
Residence: Folsom
Occupation: Commercial and residential lending fields, real estate license
Education: California State University, Fullerton, bachelor’s degree
Offices Held: Folsom Utility Commission, Folsom Planning Commission.
Campaign Website: BillMiklos.com
What is the top priority for your neighborhood?
As we are in a newly established district, the priority for this district would be traffic specifically, speeding, running stop lights and, to some extent, racing (late at night).
The mitigations to these concerns would be to increase police presence by fully funding the police department which would enable the availability of more motor units and patrol units to deter speeding etc. This is especially necessary for the late night racing (Iron Point, Empire Ranch Road and Golf Links).
Thousands of new homes are being built on the city’s southern edge in the Folsom Ranch neighborhoods, but there are some questions about whether the city will have enough resources. Do you feel the city is prepared for the addition of these homes?
The city of Folsom is in a unique position to manage the plan area south of 50 in that the City Council, prior to the commencement of the plan area construction, laid out several priorities that are currently being pursued. The plan area is something that will take at least another 20 or so years to fully develop and the city has built the necessary infrastructure for, not only the current housing growth, but future growth. They are currently looking at how to continue managing that growth as conditions change.
What else can the city do to cut its water usage given that climate change is expected to reduce the region’s already tight water supply?
This question and number #2 above go hand in glove. The city has planned for conservative water growth and supply. As past Chair of the Utility Commission and current member of the Planning Commission, I would like to offer these additional insights:
When the plan area started developing, the city insisted that the landowner’s fund (approximately $8 million) water system optimization which includes enhanced leak detection and water infrastructure.
Additionally, all homes built in the plan area have “water efficient” landscaping and plumbing for more efficient water use.
As a reminder, approximately 30% of the land in the plan area is dedicated to open space which requires a lot less water.
The city could look at center medians to determine if existing turf can be replaced by more water tolerant materials (There are some areas of large trees already that need to be accounted for.).
Creating a program where the citizens in the city can obtain water wise appliances, sprinklers and other items at a cost that is budget friendly. Replacing grass is not the sole solution.
Finally, the city did have non-potable infrastructure put in place for non-residential usage and is studying how that infrastructure might fit into the Get A or B operations that are being conducted with Aerojet (additional government approval maybe needed).This is recycled water which could effectively reduce water reliance south of 50.
Albina Suarez-Ojedis
Voter registration: Did not respond
Age: 36
Birthplace:
Place of Residence: Folsom
Occupation: Media Communications
Education: Webster University, bachelor’s degree in media communications
Offices held: None
Campaign Website: albinadaily.com
This is the city’s first-year with district elections. What is your top priority for your neighborhood?
My top priority is the safety and well-being of every individual resident in my district. Over the past several years, my district became home to many new families moving to Folsom from the Bay Area, such as my own. There is a bit of disconnect of how long time residents and newcomers see the future of our city. My goal is to unite the old and the new communities so we can address the urgent problems we face together as one united community.
Thousands of new homes are being built on the city’s southern edge in the Folsom Ranch neighborhoods, but there are some questions about whether the city will have enough resources. Do you feel the city is prepared for the addition of these homes?
It’s not a question of whether we’re prepared for the new addition, but how much we’re prepared. There’s no stopping to existing development and construction of the new homes which have already been purchased and approved. Many feel that the city is stressing its resources, which is true. We’re so excited about all the new opportunities and big business interests moving into our city, that we’re neglecting to address Folsom natives’ and long time residents’ concerns whether we have enough water, power, and budget for rapidly expanding infrastructure. I want to make sure that with the expansion of our city, we first take care of the basic needs of our existing residents. We need to support our police department, which hasn’t gotten proper budget increase, despite rapid population increase. This is just a basic example. We can’t keep expanding without prioritizing safety and expanding police and fire departments. This will not be good not only for existing local business and residents, but also undermine economic success of newcomers.
What else can the city do to cut its water usage given that climate change is expected to reduce the region’s already tight water supply?
We need to carefully reconsider our current water allocations. Just because something was put into policies and agreements in the past, does not mean that it makes sense today. We should prioritize our city’s well-being first and start anticipating future water shortages today. It doesn’t make sense to be sending away our water and then beg for water for ourselves from our neighbors. Water distribution is a huge problem, but there’s many influential stakeholders who do not benefit from making changes to existing contracts and agreements. That’s why it’s so vital to vote for officials who are not entangled in current affairs and existing agreements. Long time politicians depend on influential support, which make them less likely to push for changes. That’s why voting for someone new, like me, is the best chance to make a change.