Mounce an 'activist on the inside'

In the next four years, Mayor JoAnne Mounce hopes to finish a lot of business for the city of Lodi.

The activist-turned-politician is seeking a second term on the City Council, competing against four others for two council seats.

Her top priorities include steering the city to a completed General Plan, ensuring city promises are kept to Eastside residents and helping secure an acceptable greenbelt plan.

Getting the General Plan done — it is the city's longterm guide to growth — is even more important now, Mounce said, because of recent development proposals.

Reynolds Ranch, for example, asked and received approval last month from a split council to double the retail space at its planned shopping center off Harney Lane.

Mounce voted against the request, arguing developers should wait until the General Plan update is complete. The planning document is expected to be finished sometime next year, according to city officials. Plans for another shopping center, proposed by Sacramento developer Paul Petrovich, have also been presented to the council in private meetings by a Petrovich representative, according to council members.

That development would sit across from Reynolds Ranch, on the east side of Highway 99.

JoAnne Mounce

Age: 47.
Family: single.
Education: Accounting certificate from Lake Tahoe Community College, Associates Degree from San Joaquin Delta College.
Occupation: Small business owner, administrator for a Stockton accounting firm.
Experience:
• Administrator for Dougherty and Associates CPAs, Inc., in Stockton.
• Owner of JoAnne's Bookkeeping Service for 20 years.
Hobbies: gardening, volunteering.

Mounce says she's not opposed to such growth. She's adamant, however, about planning for it first.

"(Lodi's) always been a very compact, well-planned city. And why would that be? Because we've had good General Plans and we've stuck to them," Mounce said in an interview earlier this fall, pounding on a table with her index finger at House of Coffees.

While the 47-year-old Mounce represents all of Lodi, the Eastside is particularly close to her heart. She's the only current council member who lives there, having spent most of her life in the neighborhood.

That's won her the loyal following of Eastside residents and many rank-and-file city employees.

"She's the only who represents the people," said Lodi retiree Jack Flockhart, a Mounce supporter. "The (other council members), all they represent is big money."

Along with support, the mayor has received her share of criticism.

The Lodi Chamber of Commerce this month blasted her for not taking a more vocal and supportive stance on redevelopment.

Redevelopment is a powerful planning tool approved by the council this summer. Mounce voted against it, arguing the council should put it to a public vote.

City officials say redevelopment will help revitalize the Eastside. A greater share of the Eastside's property tax would be kept in city coffers to pay for improvement projects.

Mounce has been skeptical of whether it will truly deliver for Eastside residents.

In a written statement, the chamber explained why it chose not to endorse Mounce:

"The Redevelopment Agency is the ONLY saving solution seen for a troubled Eastside. Yet (Mounce) takes no personal position, leaving the economic needs of half the city to the opinion of many people who are motivated by unwarranted fear, misinformation and falsehoods."

Smart Lodi, a small group of opponents has petitioned to have redevelopment put on a future ballot. Their signatures are now being counted and validated by the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters. The group believes redevelopment will plunge the city into massive debt.

The chamber also criticized Mounce for declining to say whether she favors the Wal-Mart Supercenter project or any of the specific General Plan update maps created by city consultants.

Mounce has said she wants to hear more debate on the topics before making a decision.

She said another priority during a second term will be ensuring money set aside for Eastside sewer and water pipe replacements is not diverted to other projects.

The mayor cited several specific accomplishments during her first four years, including the passage of the city's mobile vending ordinance, which requires vendors to register with the city, and leading the push for city code compliance officers to join the police department, giving "more teeth" to the officers' citations.

When it comes to establishing a greenbelt, Mounce has made clear her position: She'd like to see the AL-5 compromise plan move forward. That would allow limited development (one home for every five acres owned) for property owners in the greenbelt area.

Mounce has worked to bring property owners and city and county leaders together on the issue. She notes she'd like to see the city incorporate the AL-5 zoning in its General Plan update.

Asked whether she's still the same activist who showed up to city meetings clamoring for change, before becoming a politician, Mounce said she is.

"Do I still fight behind closed doors in the same manner as I used to (in open, public sessions)? Sure," the mayor said. "Has it toned down (in public)? No. I think it's just more respectful. ... Once you're elected, you're representing more than just an issue. You're representing an entire community."

She referred to herself as "an activist on the inside."

Contact reporter Chris Nichols at chrisn@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

Observer wrote on Oct 10, 2008 8:35 PM:

" I stand by my comment. I know both individuals personally and they are good people. "

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