Mayor Travis Paden, a self-described budget hawk, said his research skills and ability to work with numbers gives him the ability to use Hanford’s resources to their fullest potential.
“All of the city’s budget comes from the taxpayers, and we need to make sure the city’s budget is spent wisely,” said Paden, who was elected in November. “I’m a father of six kids, and it’s very important in my personal budget that I maximize the potential of the income that I have. We need to maximize the potential of the city’s income.”
Born and raised in Hanford, Paden said he loves the city for its close proximity to the mountains and the coast, the quality of local schools and the historical nature of the community. During the day, Paden teaches eighth grade math and science at Woodrow Wilson Junior High. He said he ran for Hanford City Council after realizing that his number-focused and systematic approach to problem solving meant he had something to bring to the table.
“Being a math and science teacher for the last 26 years, I’m a number cruncher,” Paden said. “When you’re dealing with a $100 million budget, the numbers are there. That’s something where if you’re good with numbers, you’re going to pick out things and make good decisions.”
Paden said he considers hearing from the public to be very important and that recent changes allowing the public to speak up after a staff report during study sessions rather than only before the staff report will increase public input. Paden said he wants to remain accessible and has loved being a part of the city council so far.
“I think this is going to be a great council,” Paden said. “I think we’re going to work really well together, and we’re going to get a lot of stuff accomplished. The sky’s the limit, and I’m really excited to be working with each individual councilmember we have.”
After being sworn in in December, one of the council’s first major decisions was to approve a traffic circle at the intersection of Seventh and Douty streets along with two stop signs placed at the intersections of Douty and Sixth and Douty and Eighth streets. The proposal was approved 4-1, with Paden voting in favor of the project.
Coming into the first study session, Paden said he opposed an initial plan for three roundabouts, and leaned toward the idea of putting a four-way stop at each of the three intersections. As Paden put in more research during and between study sessions, however, he said he came around to the idea of a single roundabout and stop signs at two intersections, which he says will leave money open for other downtown improvements.
“My focus, going in, was that there were other things we could do with that $4.4 million,” said Paden, referring to the cost of the initial proposal for three roundabouts. “In the last study session, I asked the engineer how much for the roundabout, and he said a little over a million. That leaves us with $3.4 million to do ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] improvements, roads, sidewalks, lighting, historical design.”
Because the consulting engineer on the project declined to sign off on stop signs as a safe and effective alternative to the existing traffic lights, Paden said going against the engineer’s recommendations would open the city up to legal liabilities arising from lack of design immunity. Design immunity is a legal concept which shields public entities from litigation in cases where a competent expert witness has agreed that the design is legally reasonable.
“Our insurance would not cover it, and it would come out of the general fund,” Paden said. “Any money that comes out of the fund takes away from law enforcement, fire, parks, everything that we have goals for. Then, what we would have to do if we lost a case, we would have to spend a million dollars to put a roundabout there. That comes out of the general fund. If we don’t put one there, then the next accident we will be liable for as well.”
