Yucaipa voters have spoken: Experience counts

YUCAIPA - The citizens have cast their votes, they've been tabulated, and incumbents Dick Riddell and Denise Hoyt, along with candidate Diane Smith emerged from a field of 14 candidates to claim seats on the Yucaipa City Council in the Nov. 4 General Election.

All three stressed the importance of experience during the campaign and voters appeared to agree as no candidate without council experience was elected. Although Smith was a candidate, she was a councilmember from 2000-04.

Riddell has served as a councilmember for over 13 years and as mayor for 10 years, while Hoyt has served one term. Riddell said he was pleased that voters had the confidence to re-elect him, as well as Hoyt and Smith. "I am pleased they were elected and I supported them strongly," Riddell said.

Riddell finished with 7,841 votes and 21.14% of the total cast; Smith had 5,637 and 15.2%, and Hoyt, 5,409 and 14.58%. Riddell, Smith, and Hoyt all had the support of several influential organizations including the Yucaipa Valley Mobilehome Residents' Association, which endorsed all three candidates.

Ken Smith finished fourth in the voting with 3,397 votes, with Robert Coleman close behind with 3,313. Several of the 14 candidates either owned businesses, or managed businesses, and expressed a desire to see the city become more business-growth oriented.

During the campaign season, several issues were brought up that concerned candidates and residents alike, including the revitalization of the uptown district of Yucaipa, the need to expand law enforcement, the need for a health care facility, rent control for mobilehome owners, entertainment venues such as a movie theater, attracting more businesses that would provide tax revenues and jobs, more recreational facilities for youth, and protecting Yucaipa's open spaces.

As far as the state of the city, Riddell said that Yucaipa is in sound financial shape with a $42-million surplus of which $15-million is non-committed general fund surplus.

"We will be operating as usual but if we have to dip into the surplus we are fortunate to have it," Riddell said. "We are probably in the best financial shape of any of the cities around. I don't (foresee) any reduction in services or (city employee) layoffs. I don't like the condition the rest of the country is in, but Yucaipa will weather the storm."