BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – On the debate stage Tuesday night, candidate for Bakersfield City Council’s Ward 4 Ryan Crowl said he never intended to run for public office, but between what he said is a combination of not enough oversight and the current council not meeting public expectations, he’s throwing his hat in the ring.
Crowl debated Ward 4 incumbent Bob Smith, who has been in the role for about 14 years.
The conversations between the two largely focused on the city’s spending, public safety and the Council’s controversial decision to increase sewer rates for residents across Bakersfield while overall asking voters to weigh whether they want a city council candidate with more experience or if they want a change of pace.
One of the biggest themes of the night was over the City of Bakersfield’s budget, even though it isn’t an issue specific to Ward 4.
The two candidates pushed back on each other’s comments on where the city is at financially.
“I think the biggest issue for our city and for Ward 4 and beyond, is just to really get some finances in order for the city. I think that there’s some things that we can do a lot better than what we have been doing,” Crowl said in the beginning of the debate. “For example, we haven’t been filing our financial reports on time. I think we can do that much better. I don’t get to file my taxes late, but we can get that done. We can get a structurally balanced budget, and then we can plan ahead for capital improvements over a long-term period to give better planning and better forethought to our staff and our city.”
Smith disagreed and said he thinks the Bakersfield City Manager Christian Clegg, is doing a good job as well.
“We’ve adjusted our numbers and continue to have a balanced budget and fund balance of $50 million this year,” Smith.
Both candidates, who are both conservative, agreed that the city has made strides but that more work has to be done.
In fact, Smith said the entire city is better off now than where it was when he started in the role in 2012.
“When I was initially elected we did not have a contract with the police department for three years, for decades we did not charge enough for the utilities, whether it be water, sewer, (and we) weren’t able to pave the streets as much,” Smith said, adding that with the current repaving efforts underway with construction on Hageman Road, saying that Calloway Drive will be next.
Crowl agreed that the city is better off — but only to a certain extent.
“We have made strides in the right direction, but to say that we’ve charged enough for our city services, we clearly have not. We’ve not charged enough. We have not saved enough for the sewer rates,” Crowl said.
The debate comes following contentious conversations at the city level whether Bakersfield should implement a sewer increase through the city’s five-year plan.
According to previous reporting by 17 News, the residents in western Bakersfield would see their yearly sewer rates increase to over $1,000 in the next few years.
When asked what he would have done differently in the role, Smith pointed to the sewer rate controversy saying that he wishes the Council would have taken more time going out into the community to explain the issue.
“After we rescinded the first notice and went out in the community for a year and a half and explained to them what the situation really was, and we revised the little structure of the consumer rates we’re going to meet, and then we went back out and the community understood that, Smith said in response to 17 News’ debate moderator Veronica Catlin. “So I think that we did the right thing by going out to the community, and that’s something that we should have done in the first place.”
In his rebuttal, Crowl disagreed.
The City “did not charge enough, and it is simply inexcusable in my mind for a city to ignore that for so long, and then dump it in the laps of the taxpayers. There really wasn’t a lot of options at that point,” Crowl said. “The plans we had to choose between bad and worse. So yes, we have to spend the money, but it would have been much less painful if we planned ahead of time.”
Although it wasn’t talked about for long during the debate, both candidates had similar takes on the City Council’s conversations around if Bakersfield should become a sanctuary city.
Smith said he never really had any intention in voting on it.
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“I think that we should stay focused on Bakersfield and not get involved in these national (conversations), and I think that the way we police in Bakersfield is consistent with federal and state law,” Smith said.
Crowl said the city shouldn’t have been engaged in those conversations at all, largely because California Governor Gavin Newsom made California a sanctuary state, saying it would make no difference to Bakersfield.
“But absolutely I do not support Bakersfield being a sanctuary city,” Crowl said. “I invite anybody that does to open up their home as a sanctuary home, and then they can start there.”
The Ward 4 race is one of four City Council races that will be on the ballot this November. Ballots will be sent out to voters on Oct. 5.
Watch the full debate at this link.
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