Gill, Dukes elected to Yuba City City Council

Former Mayor Kash Gill led all candidates and incumbent John Dukes was re-elected to the Yuba City City Council in voting on Tuesday night that left challenger Rick Walsh third in the race for two seats.

"We did a lot of door-to-door campaigning," Gill said of his first-place finish. "That has a lot to do with it.

"I can't say 'thank you' enough to the voters for giving me their trust," he added. "I won't let them down."

Gill was a councilman from 2006-10 before narrowly losing re-election.

Walsh called Gill a tough competitor in Tuesday's election.

'He was very organized," Walsh said. "He campaigned like crazy."

Walsh said his own campaign would have benefited by an earlier beginning.

"You've got to start sooner — months before you fill out the paperwork," he said. "The campaign takes a lot of work and a lot of time."

Dr. Larry Ozeran, who announced at an Oct. 11 campaign forum that he was wit drawing from the election because of work with a start-up company that he said swallowed up all his time, finished third.

Todd Remund, who alone among the four candidates had no campaign manager and reported less than $1,000 in contributions, finished fourth.

Gill said Tuesday that his earlier council term contributed toward his win.

"We got a lot done," he said.

That includes adding police officers to a gang task force and funding levee work in the city, Gill said.

Public safety will be a key issue confronting the council and the next year or two will be very challenging financially for Yuba City, he added.

The city benefits from careful budgeting, Gill said.

"When times were good, we put money aside," he said.

CONTACT Ryan McCarthy at rmccarthy@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4780. Find him on Facebook at /ADrmccarthy or on Twitter at @ADrmccarthy.