TurlockCityNews.com will host its first-ever candidate forum next week, giving Turlock Irrigation District candidates a chance to discuss contentious issues with voters.
The forum will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the American Legion Hall, 75 Bothun Rd., Turlock.
“Our readership and local candidates have requested TurlockCityNews.com hold a forum to help inform voters and candidates of the issues each face,” TurlockCityNews.com owner and publisher David “DJ” Fransen said. “So I'm excited that we can facilitate that by hosting TurlockCityNews.com's first-ever public candidate forum.”
Both candidates for the District 5 seat, incumbent TID Director Ron Macedo, a farmer, and challenger Darrel Monroe, a retired irrigation worker, will attend the forum.
Incumbent TID Division 3 Director Joe Alamo, an agribusinessman, will be in attendance, but his challenger Dan Agundez, a retired electrical worker, is not expected to attend due to a prior engagement.
The forum will see candidates provide opening and closing statements, answer four prepared questions, and then field questions from the audience. Light refreshments and pizza will be provided for guests.
The forum is being organized by TurlockCityNews.com, Turlock's only daily, locally-owned source for news and information. Since its 2005 founding, TurlockCityNews.com has grown to serve more than 88,000 unique visitors each month.
Hosting a candidate forum is the next logical step to achieving the mission of TurlockCityNews.com, Fransen said – sharing the news and information that matters with the citizens of Turlock.
“There's a responsibility to facilitate the distribution of factual information as the most trafficked Turlock media,” Fransen said.
Issues and questions that may potentially be brought into discussion by the moderator can be emailed in advance to turlock@turlockcitynews.com.
Oct. 21 is the last day to register to vote in the Nov. 5 election. To register online, visit http://registertovote.ca.gov/.
Dan Agundes and Darrel Monroe are both disgruntled former employees of TID. Is it true that both were fired? It wouldn’t surprise me if neither of them showed up. They don’t have the guts to hear all of us farmers face to face ask them for real answers to real issues.
Maybe we can ask the current board why they are paying contractors from Texas 3 times what it costs for the district linemen to do theirselves.
Did you see that Dan Agundes is bought and sold by the TID Union. At the Teaparty debate last night Joe Alamo showed us that Dan took a large check from the TID linemen. Dan denied it but Joe showed them a copy of the check. Wow. Dan is just a puppet. Don’t vote for Dan
I think it’s important for you to get your facts straight. It’s no secret that Darrel Monroe is a former employee of the TID. How ever its also no secret that Dan Agundes was ever an employee of the TID.
If some chooses to point fingers at bought politics. I think it is also important to point out that Dan Agundes also has the support of local farmers, local business, and community’s as well.
I think it would it be important to point a finger back the other way as well? It’s no secret that Joe Alamo is bought by prominent dary men/ farmers(withholding names), so who’s puppetting(owns) Joe Alamo? And as of the moment, all I see is uni-faceted Joe Alamo is only supported by a minority group of dairymen/farmers
Just an observer
Here are some Joe Alamo facts.
During Joe Alamos time as board of director for the TID, Electrical rates have gone up 7%, twice = 14%. Your electrical rates are going to increase again at the end of the year another 5%! If you average that over four years during Joes term, That’s a pretty hefty$$$ average. So ask Joe, given those numbers is he really for affordable electricity?
Some of Joe’s campaign talks about The Almond Grayson project being done under budget and on time? He also touches on his electrical reliability plan?
The Almond Grayson project started out in the $14-$16 million range. Ask Joe how many times was that “budget adjusted”? Ask Joe how many times he voted on a different budget(increased) for the Almond Grayson project? Ask Joe why did the project increase in price(Because the board felt the need to change the route on several occasions)? Ask Joe ultimately where did the budget end up for that project($26-$28million)? A decision that ultimately landed on the shoulders of the ratepayers. And NO, the project did not get finished on time it was about two weeks late.
Joe says he pushed for an electrical reliability plan? And he may be telling the truth? Joe may believe he has a electrical reliability plan in place. And if that’s the case Joe was sold snake oil. Joe’s electrical reliability plan is a farce, that have cost electrical rate payers and the TID almost $3,000,000. Yes you read the correctly 3 MILLION, is Joe thinking of the rate payer here? He certainly isn’t thinking about customer service? Joe’s “reliability plan” burned up a customers house to the tune of over $52,000, Joe’s “reliability plan” also burned up a over $200,000 truck, Joe’s “reliability plan” also burned down a newly constructed line. So let me ask the question again! How reliable is Joe’s Electrical reliability plan???
Here are some Joe Alamo facts.
During Joe Alamos time as board of director for the TID, Electrical rates have gone up 7%, twice = 14%. Your electrical rates are going to increase again at the end of the year another 5%! If you average that over four years during Joes term, That’s a pretty hefty$$$ average. So ask Joe, given those numbers is he really for affordable electricity?
Some of Joe’s campaign talks about The Almond Grayson project being done under budget and on time? He also touches on his electrical reliability plan?
The Almond Grayson project started out in the $14-$16 million range. Ask Joe how many times was that “budget adjusted”? Ask Joe how many times he voted on a different budget(increased) for the Almond Grayson project? Ask Joe why did the project increase in price(Because the board felt the need to change the route on several occasions)? Ask Joe ultimately where did the budget end up for that project($26-$28million)? A decision that ultimately landed on the shoulders of the ratepayers. And NO, the project did not get finished on time it was about two weeks late.
Joe says he pushed for an electrical reliability plan? And he may be telling the truth? Joe may believe he has a electrical reliability plan in place. And if that’s the case Joe was sold snake oil. Joe’s electrical reliability plan is a farce, that have cost electrical rate payers and the TID almost $3,000,000. Yes you read the correctly 3 MILLION, is Joe thinking of the rate payer here? He certainly isn’t thinking about customer service? Joe’s “reliability plan” burned up a customers house to the tune of over $52,000, Joe’s “reliability plan” also burned up a over $200,000 truck, Joe’s “reliability plan” also burned down a newly constructed line. So let me ask the question again! How reliable is Joe’s Electrical reliability plan???
Joe Alamo is a board of director for his own personal gain, and the gain of the people who bought him, paying his political way, what ever you want to call it.
One fact is, if Joe does not get re-elected Joe is at risk of lossing his TID benefits, retirement pay and the medical benefits for Joe and his family. Joe uses TID through TID policy to gain in his personal life and personal business!
Hey Joe here’s a tip! When a respected expert in his field is given a board report, and you ask a question. And the respected expert says “can you repeat the question” or “I don’t understand your question?” It’s this respected experts polite way of saying you don’t make Sense and your lost, or that the subject matter is way over your head.
You’d think after four years on the board Joe would have taken the hint
Good luck Joe
Joe doesn’t take any benefits from the District. He gives any extra money to charity “stupid lineman kids fund”
I don’t think it really matters, because who TID wants in there, “Is who will be in there” if you catch my drift? They want “Board Members” that don’t really have a clue, so they can get whatever management wants to pace, with no “hold ups” because they don’t have the knowledge to make a sound decision, so they just go along with what management wants. Take the Tea Party at the VFW, every time Alamo or Macedo where asked a question they just danced around it “never answering it” I really think they thought if they just keep talking, they would sound smart lol. Macedo even said he climbed half way up an electrical pole, I think at the TCN forum I’ll ask for a repeat performance, and up the Annie and ask Monroe if Macedo does it will you shine his boots lol. Alamo seems like a nice enough guy, but truthfully he needs to go back to his successful agribusiness, Macedo he just kept talking about growing corn, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins. But like I said TID wants Board Members like this! Someone who don’t have a clue and pass whatever management wants and needs!
Your comment that brought children into this discusion was unnecessary…. Bringing children into this nonsense is uncalled for and you should be ashamed of yourself! Whether your insult was meant for the linemen or their kids, it showed just how classless you are and you really need to grow up!
From the recent debate. This shows that Joe Alamo is honest and Dan lied.
“Although all four candidates denied any current relationship with the IBEW, Supervisor Alamo revealed that his opponent, Agundez, received campaign funds from the local linemen’s union. Some linemen at the meeting denied this allegation, demanding Alamo provide proof to the audience.
According to an official 497 Contribution Report filed on Sept. 30 with the Stanislaus County Clerk, Agundez did receive $1,500 in contributions from the IBEW local union 1245.
“We have been faithfully negotiating with them for two years now,” said Alamo, in regards to his relationship to the IBEW. “I do not have any relationship to them other than negotiations. We need to get to an agreement, and we need to have reliability for our customers.”
All this shows is that the current board members can’t solve a labor issue? If I where a board member I’d think you would avoid this issue, it show cases ones or a groups inability to navigate employee issues. What does this say about someone who is at the top of a company? And for over a year they continually beat the same drum. If the current board is doing there job correctly they would solve this labor issue a move forward! The board members COULD be saying here’s what we’ve done!
Instead there statement read, “here’s what’s happened to us(were the victim)”. If your the boss on top how is this possible?
If Joe is so up front and honest? He should release a statement “honestly I’m SO confused at the board meeting and I struggle to intellectually keep pace”
Wow, these comments remind me of old times with the old Turlock City Council.
Blah Blah Blah. Dan Agundes is just plain dishonest. He lies. IBEW members wants more money on top of the $150,000 + salary and they want a 3 day work week. They make more then firemen and police. IBEW should be on the same salary range as the ditch tenders.
Way to go Joe. Stick it right in those linemans face. You sure showed them
It’s funny that their making such a big deal about IBEW donating $1,500 to Agundez campaign, when Trinkler Farms have donated $20,000 to Alamo’s campaign? And “Hank John” Alamo didn’t show anybody anything except how to talk around a question! Better yet (Hank John) why don’t YOU show those lineman and go out to your main panel and shut off the main breaker! Hopefully the next time your powers knocked out in a storm YOU walk out and tell those lineman to there FACE, to not get the power back on in your house! YOU COWARD, you’ll be begging for it to be back on!
Lineman make around $100,000 a year, some work overtime and can make up to $50,000 more a year if there up for the stress of “working around the clock” “whenever needed”. I think if you don’t have the balls to do there job, Extreme Heights, Extreme Voltage, Working in every kind of Environment imaginable, And be KILLED by ONE wrong move, ( Then you don’t have the right to slam them!) if you would do there job, and still fill the lineman are in the wrong, then slam away.
Joe Alamo & friends were drunk at Dick’s Bar, and then a few of his supporters went out and vandalized Agundez campaign signs, so its funny when they talk about vandalism being done to them
No one cares about your petty infighting. The homeowners who pay the electric rates are the decision makers in this election. All your petty BS arguing on TCN won’t make a bit of difference. Monroe is too ignorant of the bigger issues facing TID to be elected. Alamo and Macedo will roll to an easy election. If you want change get some legitimate candidates to run against the incumbents.
Let’s keep Alamo & Macedo on the board, $4,000,000 to outside contracting in just the Electrical Dept., TID $1,000,000,000 in debt and growing, YES a BILLION in DEBT!! A General Manager who is incompetent! Just 20 years ago the District was in the POSITIVE $50,000,000, self contained, low rates, and one of the RICHEST utility districts in California! Now there sounding like BIG GOVERNMENT 1 Billion in debt and saying there doing great? The Water Dept. of the District is in shambles, with no real Leadership! So if you want to say that Alamo and Macedo are “rolling to an easy election” then that is sad for the PEOPLE! Look where it got BIG GOVERNMENT, “There Shut Down”! So Roll On!!! but again the District is ONLY a BILLION DOLLARS in DEBT. Tea Party
When Larry Weis came on board that’s when all the building and debt started. Mr Miyagi inherited the debt. VOTE ALAMO
I can’t wait for this good entertainment. Darrel won’t even have but 3 people there that support him. Ron has all the real support. Make sure you report that after it is proven that Darrel and his 3 supporters are writing all these comments too.
If there’s gonna be pizza I’m there! Ron Macedo outsourced my job so I’ll take whatever free food I can get
if only people could have heard tid general manager casey hashimoto say he didn’t care about linemen and the board doesn’t care about rate payers or local jobs. please report on what we all said at the board meeting.
Wow. I’ll set a few things straight because they are completely absurd. 1) Trinkler Farms did not contribute any number near $20,000. Wow. 2) Joe’s supporters did not vandalize Mr. Agundes’ signs although that would make you feel better I’m sure. I know of a few that were removed because they were placed on property without permission. Land owners have every right to remove them. 3) There are certain topics all board members cannot discuss, particularly regarding the IBEW and any union contract negotiations. 4) The reason for hiring outside contractors is because the lineman, approx. 40, didn’t answer calls during the 2 day outage. If these disgruntled TID linemen would make themselves available especially during an almost deadly power outage, there wouldn’t be a need for outside contractors.
Well Said Dawna!!! You hit the nail on the head
Joe Alamo was at Dicks bar and had 2 beers, he did not, nor did any of his friends or supporters do what was claimed by the so called insider who didnt state his or her name/ Perhaps they are somewhat jelious of the Alamo family and like to play dirty politics just like whats going on now in Washington. Have some B**** and enter you name you coward. The Irishman.
Dawna. You are so right. Glad you wrote that. The Linemen are cry babies and are greedy. They destroyed TIDs power line on Friday pm and then none of them responded to the need
to repair it. All 40 were camping. They let the customers down. The board had to hire outside contractors so it couldn’t happen again
Dawna you sound like a lot of drama “deadly outage”? I think it’s strange that you are so offended on Joe Alamo’s behalf but I believe it was you to cast the first stone on accusations about graffiti and sign vandalism towards Mr. Agundaz, there is a lot of vandalism towards both of theses candidates which I think is disgusting, but I don’t feel Mr. Agundaz nor Mr. Alamo are the vandals nor do I feel either would condone vandalism. I know how I am voting I am not going to ANY of these forums and I would suggest NONE of the 4 candidates show up either! And I do know all four of the candidates. I would suggest most all of the people posting anything regarding this election read the terms and conditions that they agree to because there is ALOT of abuse and very little facts being posted.(by both sides Dawna)
Go (*edited by tcn) yourself Irishman! You talk about “Dirty Politics” Alamo was going around and saying the Lineman were vandalizing property with NO proof! They are Professional people with better stuff to do than act like a bunch of gang bangers spray painting property’s! Again (*edited by tcn) you Irishman you (*edited by tcn)! Crazy Larry
🙁 To the insider, you lied about Joe Alamo and didnt have the B***S to put your name on there. I own Dicks Bar and Joe Alamo has never gotten drunk in this bar. He`s been here with friends and or family. He`s never had more that 3 beers. If you the Indider are going to say (*edited by tcn) then make sure you know what the facts are , and to Jonathan McCorkell, if this is your site, its up to you to police what goes on it!
Freedom of speech is one thing, Lies are another.
lol. All the linemen are drunks. They just don’t drink at Dicks. Don’t be a Drunk at Dicks.
Let’s clear the air, “Dawna” is Dawna Trinkler Riberio and she is Wendell’s daughter. She is making the nasty, untrue comments on this site. Why isn’t she asking her friend Macedo why he called a TID employee who was on-call last November to hook up the power to his pumpkin patch over the Thanksgiving weekend. Do TID Board members get special treatment? Is that why the Trinkler clan is helping to elect Alamo, what special favors has the Trinkler family received or are going to receive in the future, Mr. Alamo?
Are westside farmers really believing the crap Alamo is telling them about TID employees? Maybe it’s to hide the last 4 years of mismanagement and bad decisions by the TID board and the current General Manager? Did the GM really say in this past Tuesday’s public TID meeting at 9 am, “I don’t trust the lineman”. Yes, that is what he said and this crappy website only reports what Fransen is told report. Why hasn’t that quote been on this website or in the Turlock Journal or the Modesto Bee. A General Manager should never say that about anyone. Did any of the TID board members question his comment. Of course not because they either don’t care, were sleeping during that part of the “long” meeting or agree with their GM.
Macedo and Alamo aren’t talking about their voting records for the last four years. If they did, you would hear how electric rates went up 14%, the Hughson-Grayson line which Alamo brags about finishing, was late and spent more than budgeted for, and they give bonuses to certain labor groups and harass other labor groups. The general manager can’t work with other top management, they don’t want their meetings at night when the public can attend, finally someone is holding their feet to the fire. Why is that? Wells going dry on the east side of the county, whose well is next? Alamo raised 25K from less than 20 big farmers who does he represent, how about Macedo, another 20K?
Dear “Guest from west Turlock”,
The truth hurts, doesn’t it? The linemen were out of line when they left the electric customers stranded. When my power was off for 48 hours, I also lost all respect for them. Piss on their leg.
To the “guest from west Turlock”
I was in the room and you’re lying about what he said…he said he lost respect for the linemen, not that he didn’t trust them. If you’re gonna spew untrue info, please do it somewhere else instead of trying to sway votes with lies
Fransen owns the Turlock Journal and Modesto Bee too. So that’s why the Gm’s quotes are being kept out of the news. He knows him and is friends with him. Go cry in the canal if you want more water. Or keep pissing on your own leg and call it rain. Nothing will change. Macedo and Alamo will wins by a landslide. Linemen have no power and I’m glad TID is outsourcing your jobs for less money.
Names Crazy Larry, Chapter “81” R&W, so what’s your deal? need me to come out? pay a visit? let me know?