Bee endorsement: Two candidates will strengthen a Folsom City Council facing challenges | Opinion
Folsom completes its transition to city council districts with open races for two seats (districts 2 and 4) with no incumbents, guaranteeing new leadership. With City Manager Elaine Andersen retiring, the new council must pick its next leader and set strategies for finances and growth.
District residents in the heart of the city are fortunate to have some capable candidates to choose from. Still, two are clearly ready to hit the ground running, which is what Folsom needs. The Bee endorses health executive Justin Raithel for District 2 and James Ortega in District 4.
In District 2, Raithel has a history of serving Folsom as a former planning commissioner, historic district commissioner and library commissioner. He is keenly aware of the growth challenges the city is now experiencing as new developments emerge in Folsom Ranch on the city lands south of Highway 50. And he’s concerned about maintaining the city’s strong economic base.
Raithel supports the Measure G one-cent sales tax proposal for Folsom that is on the ballot this November. So do the other two candidates seeking office, life-long resident Hla Elkhatib and sheriff’s Captain Dustin Silva. Raithel has an impressive understanding of city finances and could bring much-needed fiscal leadership to Folsom on fiscal issues.
Ortega is a career law enforcement official, having served both in the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and as chief of the Placerville Police Department from 2017 through 2020. A Folsom resident of 17 years, Ortega has served on the planning commission. A fiscal conservative, Ortega wisely seeks to increase the presence of the county in managing the city’s homeless population in hopes of providing the services these unhoused residents may need.
This next council must confront - and reject - a proposal by mega-developer Angelo Tsakopoulos to expand the city south of White Rock Road and adjacent land to the east in El Dorado County. Tsakopoulos proposes a new community for senior citizens.
Both Raithel and Ortega believe that Tsakopoulos should pursue this aging community concept on land within the city’s existing limits as opposed to beginning what undoubtedly would be a series of southern expansions of the city in the coming decades that would destroy Folsom’s unique historic character.
Ortega is vying for the District 4 council seat along with long-time resident Barbara Leary and entrepreneur Gul Khan. Leary has years of civic experience both in the city and county and has led local efforts to reject the proposed Tsakopoulos expansion. Khan’s government experience is mostly through interactions representing the private sector. All three support the Measure G sales tax proposal as well.
In a competitive race of quality candidates, we believe Ortega would complement this council with his focus on government efficiency, public safety and preserving Folsom’s unique quality of life. His leadership experience inside local government would undoubtedly benefit this next council.
The two winners will replace Rosario Rodriguez (who is moving on to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors) and YK Chalamcherla (who is running for the Folsom Cordova Unified School District board). This past council, frankly, struggled to lead cohesively and simply could not agree on any sales tax proposal for voters to consider, prompting a citizen-led effort to place Measure G on the ballot.
Prospects are high for Folsom to have a strong working majority on the council with the election of Raithel and Ortega. And at this critical juncture in the city’s history, that is precisely what Folsom needs.
A previous version of the editorial incorrectly stated that Measure G is a half-cent local sales tax measure.
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This story was originally published September 25, 2024 at 5:00 AM.