LAKEPORT — Ted Mandrones said he thinks his experience as a former mayor of Lakeport and his continued devotion to improving the city would make him a good addition to the Lakeport City Council.
“I”ve done it before and I feel my record speaks for itself,” said Mandrones, who served as mayor of Lakeport from 2002 to 2006.
Mandrones, 66, is one of six candidates running for two positions on the Lakeport City Council in the Nov. 2 election.
A native of Portland, Ore., Mandrones majored in business administration at Portland University, never earning a degree. He later attained the rank of sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, earning an honorable discharge for his service.
Mandrones first moved to Lake County in 1983, relocating to work at the Lakeport branch of Piedmont Lumber. He and his wife, Sally, have two daughters and one grandson. His wife is the owner of Sally”s Shear Expression located on Main Street in Lakeport.
Mandrones worked as a merchandise manager at Piedmont Lumber during his previous term on the Lakeport City Council. He said his full-time position at the store was a factor in his decision not to run for re-election in 2006.
“I couldn”t do the job that was necessary working full-time for Piedmont and staying on the City Council because we were going through the expansion of the store,” Mandrones said.
Mandrones said one reason he decided to run in 2010 was that he would have more time to devote to the City Council this time around. He now works as a manager with Mendo Mill and Lumber Co., which bought the Piedmont Lumber site in Lakeport and opened a store there in September.
Mandrones said he would continue to work full-time at Mendo Mill, if elected.
Cliff Swetnam, District 4 Planning Commissioner for Lake County, said he helped Mandrones campaign during the 2002 election and supports Mandrones again in the 2010 election.
“He just has a lot of really good ideas and strong feelings about this community and where it should go and what should happen to it,” Swetnam said.
Swetnam said Mandrones has many of the same focuses in 2010 as he did during his first term on the City Council. He remembers Mandrones campaigning in 2002 to improve Lakeport city streets, decrease the amount of weeds along the lake and improve conditions for senior citizens.
“It”s kind of a love affair for him,” Swetnam said of Mandrones. “He really feels strongly about the community and he tries very hard to make it a better place to live.”
Mandrones said he would continue to work on the same issues he did during his term as mayor, if elected, and has included some new focus points in light of the current economic times.
“I”ll find new and innovative funding sources to restore budgets for law enforcement and to continue improvements for Lakeport”s deteriorating infrastructure,” he said “I”ll listen to the needs of the community and be available to help any way I can.”
Anthony Farrington, District 4 Supervisor for Lake County, said he knows Mandrones to be a diligent worker and someone who takes initiative.
“One of the reasons I”m supporting him is that I know that he wants to make certain that the City Council keeps its commitment to our law enforcement or Lakeport city police and I think that”s a very important issue,” Farrington said.
Farrington said that Mandrones was the only City Council candidates to reach out for his support during the 2010 election.
Mandrones said he has seen Lakeport begin some of the improvements he fought for earlier this decade, helping him realize it was time to get back in the ring.
“Everyday you turn and see construction now going on and I want to be back involved in that stuff. I can make things work with my past record,” he said.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
