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Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009

The influence game: Who holds sway over Merced County?

Every few years Merced County voters dutifully elect new leaders -- but those officials are not always the people with the most power.

Developers, Realtors, lawyers, growers and builders also make up much of what might be described as Merced's informal power structure.

In fact, almost half the county's most powerful people are unelected business people, according to an informal survey conducted by the Sun-Star.

In the survey of 30 county leaders, community members and business people, roughly 100 people were identified as the most powerful in Merced County. While some were elected officials, most were not.

The survey asked participants to identify the 20 most influential or powerful people in Merced. The answers of each participant were then cross-referenced. The names mentioned most made the grade.

The survey showed that elected officials are perceived as holding power -- but it also revealed that many of the people seen as the most powerful are little known to the general public.

Some of the names that made the top of the heap wouldn't be recognizable by many people in the county. For instance, Bob Rucker, Bob Ayers and Bob Carpenter all showed up in the top 20 list, yet none is an elected official.

Of the top 20, nine were in business, six were unelected officials and five were elected.

Of the business people, all were Republicans and most were involved in one way or another in real estate. On the other hand, almost all the elected and unelected officials were Democrats.

1. Bob Carpenter, 67, is a registered Republican and ranked as the county's most powerful and influential person. He is the co-owner of Leap-Carpenter-Kemp insurance agency. He's perhaps best known for his role in helping to bring UC Merced to the county. When told that he ranked as the most influential person in the county, Carpenter said the goal he'd worked hardest for was UC Merced. One of the surveys remarked that "he is a special guy, never looks for the limelight and just makes an incredible difference. Or, just to say, he makes it happen."

2. Sheriff Mark Pazin, Merced College President Ben Duran and Mike Gallo tied for second place.

Pazin, 53 and a Republican, has been sheriff since 2002. Before being elected he served as a deputy for almost two decades. He said he doesn't look at what he does as a powerful role. Any power he has really comes from his position, he said.

Duran, 62, has been in his position since 1998. "I'm befuddled, I'm not sure what influence means in this county," he said.

Gallo, the 59-year-old owner of Joseph Gallo Farms, is a Republican. Besides his agricultural operations, he's also a donor to local causes as well as a developer. He donated $2 million to the UC in 2002. Gallo is also a member of the UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees. He couldn't be reached for comment about this story.

3. Mike Salvadori, 73, and a Republican, owns Century 21 Salvadori Realty. His company sells roughly 600 properties a year and employs 40 people. Besides being civically engaged, he has done some political fundraising. "I was just born and raised here, and I've been a little bit involved in trying to make Merced a better community to live in," he said.

4. Merced County CEO Dee Tatum and Supervisor Deidre Kelsey tied for this position.

Tatum, 62, is a Democrat. He's set to retire Dec. 18 and has been in his position since 2001. When contacted, he said that his position is very restricted and at the whim of the supervisors.