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Ryno, Lane take City Council race
Hugo Molina fails to succeed in third bid for council
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Linda Ryno captured a seat on the Ceres City Council in the Tuesday, Nov. 5 election while incumbent Ken Lane held onto a thin lead to retain his seat over Hugo Molina.

Ryno, a former city hall worker and wife of retired Ceres Police Sgt. Sam Ryno, commanded the election with 1,519 votes, 37.5 percent.

Lane was the second highest vote gatherer with 1,297 votes, or 30.04 percent, edging out political newcomer Molina who rounded up 1,217 votes (30.04 percent). It was the second defeat for Molina, a member of the Ceres Planning Commission.

The election results surprised some who believed that Lane would dominate the election as the incumbent who amassed a $12,724 campaign war chest.

"I heard from so many people during my precinct walking that they wanted change and given that the council was endorsing Molina, I think they may have seen me as that opportunity for change," said Ryno. "I'm very excited and looking forward in helping guide Ceres in the next four years."

Ryno will be replacing Councilman Eric Ingwerson, who also twice served as mayor, since he decided not to seek re-election.

Ryno, a resident of Ceres since 1983, worked as the administrative secretary for the Ceres Planning Department for 29 years. Now retired, the 59-year-old councilmember-elect said her goals are to increase the transparency in government, assure safety for all citizens and insure that the council and city staff is held accountable to citizen's requests for assistance with respect. During the election she pledged to be "an independent thinker who will make informed decisions."
Ryno said she would like to address issues of blight in Ceres, as well as lack of shopping and dining venues.
A Manteca High School graduate, Ryno and her husband have two sons, Lucas, and Zachary and first grandchild, Logan.

Stanislaus County experienced a dismal voter turnout at 16.61 percent of all registered voters.

In Keyes William Alexander, Eddie Jones and Johnathon Parker were elected to the Keyes Community Service District. Jones and Parker each collected 88 votes apiece, and Alexander pulled in 101 votes. Shut out was Davie Landers who was in fourth place with 93 votes.

TID board race
Following a heated race for seats on the Turlock Irrigation District Board of Directors, incumbents Joe Alamo and Ron Macedo have been named victorious.

As of 10:08 p.m. on Tuesday, Alamo beat out opponent Daniel Agundez, a retired PG&E electric supervisor, with a total of 820 votes for the Division 3 seat. Agundez trailed behind with 469 votes.

As a self-employed dairyman and agribusinessman, Alamo has served on the TID Board of Directors since first being elected in 2009. With a Bachelor's degree in Agribusiness from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Alamo has remained involved in matters surrounding agriculture, having been involved with the Central Counties Dairy Herd Improvement Association. He is also a member of the Western United Dairymen, the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, and serves as a representative on both the district's Drinking Water and the Pension Investment committees.

"Things are looking pretty good so far," said Alamo, as he watched the results come in. "I want to thank all of my supporters for their votes of confidence in keeping me on the Board for four more years. I'll continue to fight to keep rates low and to keep our water here in our district."

For Division 5, Macedo came out triumphant, having conquered opponent Darrel Monroe, a retired irrigation worker, with a total of 396 votes in Stanislaus County as of late Tuesday evening, while Monroe pulled in 271 votes.

Born and raised in Turlock, Macedo has been serving on the TID Board of Directors, where he is currently vice-president, since 2009. Also serving as a director for the Stanislaus County Fair Board, Macedo has been involved with numerous agricultural organizations, including the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, and the California Farm Bureau Federation. As a farmer and owner of R.A.M. Farms in Turlock, Macedo currently serves as a representative on both the district's Facilities and Irrigation committees.

During their campaigns, both Macedo and Alamo expressed the importance of focusing on the district's relicensing process of the Don Pedro Dam, and keeping water and power rates both affordable and reliable for customers.