Madera County supervisor faces challenge in District 3 from councilmember

Robert Poythress was preparing to leave the Madera City Council just as Cecelia Gallegos was coming onto it in 2016. Poythress has represented the county’s District 3 on the board since.

Now, Gallegos wants his job. It’ll be the first time someone has challenged Poythress for his supervisor seat since he first won it almost eight years ago.

Poythress is a local farmer and former banker who also serves as the board president of the California Association of Councils of Governments.

Gallegos has been a teacher for 32 years with the Madera Unified School District – where she’s also been Teacher of the Year – and is the city’s mayor pro tem. The candidates are lifelong area residents who graduated from Madera High School.

The race for the District 3 supervisor seat is the only local Madera County contest that will be decided in the March election.

The Fresno Bee submitted questions to each of the candidates and asked each to respond with answers in writing. Their responses are offered here.

Robert Poythress

Age: 68

Birthplace: Madera

Current town: Madera

Current Occupation: Madera County District 3 Supervisor and farmer

Education: Madera High School. Bachelor’s in Agricultural Business Management from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1978. Master’s from Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington in 1998.

Offices held: Madera City Council from 2004 to 2016, with six years as mayor. Madera County Board of Supervisors, District 3, since 2017.

Campaign website: TBD

Q: How will you work to bring higher-paying job opportunities that are accessible to a variety of Madera County’s demographic groups?

A: I currently serve as chairman of the Madera County Economic Development Commission, which serves the entire county and its two cities. Through the commission and other jurisdictions, we have been very successful in attracting a variety of industrial and commercial businesses to Madera County. The primary reason that we have been a destination for new industry is that we look for ways to make relocating to Madera County a transparent and streamlined process, in addition to providing an outstanding workforce.

Q: What will you do to attract retail shopping centers that will keep shoppers’ spending dollars within Madera County?

A: Madera County and the neighboring jurisdictions work collaboratively to attract retailers to our county. We maintain regular contact with a variety of commercial real estate brokers and shopping center developers who are the key to attracting certain large retailers. We also regularly attend regional events where retailers gather and develop relationships that lead to the eventual relocation of retailers to Madera.

Q: As a county supervisor, what will you do to help ensure the survival of adequate local emergency medical services?

A: Madera County has endured many emergencies that jeopardize human life in recent years, such as fires, excessive rain and snow, the pandemic, and the closure of our local hospital. The county has responded by developing strategic partnerships with our own public health services, Camarena Health, law enforcement and public safety agencies, and Fresno area hospitals. Ambulance services are augmented by regional partners to ensure that patients may be transported as quickly as possible to the closest emergency room. We are also working closely with our state partners and other parties to re-establish local emergency room services as soon as possible.

Q: With groundwater sustainability plans for two of the county’s subbasins still in limbo, how will you work to protect the drinking water of residents and the resources of at-risk farmers during your term?

A: Madera County has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to ensuring that our water basins are balanced and comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act as quickly as possible. While the approval of the Madera basin plan has been achieved, each basin has different characteristics and a one size fits all approach is not appropriate. We are making progress in moving the two other basins to sustainability by engaging with land owners, water districts and local communities.

Q: Can you explain something you will be particularly focused on during your term that you have not yet mentioned?

A: One of my priorities has been to make our highways safer through Madera County, particularly Highway 99. Last year, we were able to assemble roughly $105 million to complete Highway 99 from Avenue 12 to Avenue 7 in Madera, eliminating bottlenecks and making the roads safer for our citizens and the movement of goods. We continue to work to eliminate the existing bottlenecks for our neighbors to the north and south. This coalition has been extremely successful in creating equity by attracting transportation dollars that have been historically diverted to the state’s urban areas.

Cecelia Gallegos

Age: 56

Birthplace: Madera County

Current town: Madera

Current Occupation: Madera Unified School District teacher

Education: Madera High School. Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies from Fresno State University in 1985.

Offices held: Madera City Council, District 1, since 2016.

Campaign website: www.facebook.com/votececeforsupervisordistrict3, www.instagram.com/votececeforsupervisordistrict3

Q: How will you work to bring higher-paying job opportunities that are accessible to a variety of Madera County’s demographic groups?

A: I am conversing with Central Valley Council, which brings union wage-paying trade jobs to our community. One of our partners is the Madera Unified School District. They are creating programs for our youth to get the skills they need to bring into our workforce. I have also been a part of a team collaborating with Madera Community College to train and teach skills to our youth for higher-paying jobs. I will work to have great infrastructure in place and champion for additional funding for our workforce to continue to progress, whether it is our roads, rail or highways.

Q: What will you do to attract retail shopping centers that will keep shoppers’ spending dollars within Madera County?

A: Here are a few examples of businesses I have helped bring to Madera that are bringing top tax dollars to the city: Almond World, Boot Barn, In-N-Out, Dutch Bros. Coffee, ZNG, Fast Track, Loves Travel Center, Tractor Supply, Full Throttle Suspension, Vallarta Supermarkets, TranPak, Smart & Final and Cal-Pacific Supply. There are many more. As I work to bridge a partnership between the city and county, I plan to continue retail expansion to keep dollars in Madera County.

Q: As a county supervisor, what will you do to help ensure the survival of adequate local emergency medical services?

A: I am working with state and federal partners to gain financial support for us here in Madera. It is also important to encourage financial support for our surrounding cities that are caring for our residents. Even if Madera Community Hospital reaches an agreement with a buyer, we must have a back-up plan. I will encourage my fellow supervisors to team up with the city of Madera to create a district hospital. This plan will give our community – the voters – the right to what is best.

Q: With groundwater sustainability plans for two of the county’s subbasins still in limbo, how will you work to protect the drinking water of residents and the resources of at-risk farmers during your term?

A: I have many ideas that would help our residents and farmers with our Sustainable Groundwater Management Act plan. I would start to develop more recharge basins in the county, which we have done in the city throughout my term.

Q: Can you explain something you will be particularly focused on during your term that you have not yet mentioned?

A: I have seen city councilmembers become supervisors who have not gotten the two groups to work together even though they serve the same residents. We should all have one goal: To do what’s best for all of our community, to improve the quality of life for our residents. We share health care, air quality, sewer, water, the Economic Development Commission, highways, the airport, golf course, library, roads and so on. I will also be bringing more representation, resources and projects to District 3.