Meet the 2007 general election city council candidates

It all comes down to Tuesday for the five candidates left in the race for the two open seats on the Yuma City Council.

In the general election, Yuma voters will go to the polls and decide who will be leading their city in the years to come.

Whoever is elected, there will be a change to the face of the council. None of the three councilmen whose terms were up - Al Krieger, Scott Johnson and Gerry Giss - sought re-election.

The four candidates who will appear on the ballot are Cody Beeson, Jack Kretzer, Raul Mendoza and Richard Ortega.

There is one other person, Kathleen Neeb Deck, running as a write-in candidate. Her name will not appear on the ballot but she is registered with the Yuma County Recorder's Office and has appeared with other candidates in public debate forums.

Leslie McClendon won one of the council vacancies in the September primary election by receiving more than half the primary vote total - 62.5 percent

Beeson, Kretzer, Ortega and Mendoza advanced to the general election because they received the next highest vote totals among the remaining candidates. Beeson got 46.2 percent of the vote, followed by Jack Kretzer with 35.4 percent, Richard Ortega with 32.9 percent and Raul Mendoza with 31.8 percent.

Here is a look at the candidates:

CODY BEESON

Beeson is a recording engineer and the owner of his own company, 824 Productions. This would be the first elected office he has held.

Beeson has publicly stated his opposition to the proposed Gila Mountain annexation, which was defeated by voters in a special election item during the September primary. He has stated his top priorities would be creating more opportunities for youth and finding solutions to Yuma's traffic problems, with right-hand turn lanes to 4th Avenue as well as 16th, 24th and 32nd streets.

He has stated that the proposed 6,000-seat arena is something the community could use, but the city should not fund the project. He supports adding multiple regulation-size soccer and baseball fields and putting more diverse programs into the park system such as bocce courts and chessboards engraved into the tables.

JACK KRETZER

Kretzer has lived in Yuma since 1998 and has previously run for the city council and mayor, though he has not been elected. He is a retired engineer, formerly registered in six states,

including Arizona.

He has stated that the most pressing issue facing Yuma is getting spending under control. He also stated the city needs to charge developers a fair share for their projects. As for the arena, he said the project should remain private and stand on its own without diverting events from the existing civic center.

He called the Gila Mountain annexation a joke and has proposed the next council investigate why the city got into the annexation.

RAUL MENDOZA

Mendoza retired from the Yuma Police Department as a sergeant after 23 years and now works for the Housing Authority for the city of Yuma. He has been there for the past three years. Like all but one of his opponents, he has never held publicly elected office.

He has publicly stated that he doesn't believe the Gila Mountain annexation, which was defeated by voters in a special election item during the September primary, has been decided yet. He also has stated he favors orderly and smart growth and controlled taxation, as well as creating more athletic fields for the city's youth and taking a proactive approach to traffic planning.

He said the biggest issue for the next council is community trust and being proactive when planning and building new streets. He said there is a demand for soccer fields and improved

bicycle paths around the city.

RICHARD ORTEGA

Ortega previously served on the Yuma City Council in 1977, though he resigned in 1980 to run for the Yuma County Board of Supervisors, according to city officials. He was not elected to that position. He is now retired but remains active in volunteer organizations.

Ortega said that because he is from Yuma, he knows the needs of the the military personnel at the Marine Air Corps Station and Yuma Proving Ground, particularly to ensure a secure flight path for MCAS.

He has voiced concern about rising water rates, stated the proposed arena should be privately financed 100-percent and has stated that the Gila Mountain annexation is a dead issue.

He has also questioned why planning by the city council didn't ensure a smoother transition to infrastructure improvements. He noted incremental rate increases would have been preferable and more easily budgeted than the current rate hikes Yuma is now experiencing.

KATHLEEN NEEB DECK

Neeb Deck did not consider running for office until the filing deadline had passed but was able to file as a write-in candidate.

She has held a variety of jobs, from being a cashier to farming to sheet metal fabrication. She has never held public office before but said she thinks she would do well on the council because she would treat all people fairly, regardless of their background, when they brought their issues before the city.

She has stated that the most pressing issue in the city is providing employment opportunities. Like the other candidates, she has stated that the arena should be a privately funded endeavor and that the Gila Mountain annexation is now a dead issue. She has proposed improving bus routes and adding more city parks.