Mayoral Candidate: Elk Grove Suffers from Cronyism, 'Political Payback'

Administrative lawyer Jerry Braxmeyer launched his campaign to be Elk Grove’s first elected mayor Thursday with a biting press release that accused sitting Elk Grove officials of cronyism and said the city needed a change.

“We have been taken over by career politicians that are no longer looking out for what's best for Elk Grove," Braxmeyer said in the statement released to coincide with a fundraiser at Palermo Ristorante. "Now I am not saying that about every council member, but there are those that are more concerned about what office to run for next, more concerned about pleasing their high-priced donors and more concerned about getting their name in the paper.”

Braxmeyer, a longtime Elk Grove resident who runs a practice handling workers’ compensation claims and has not campaigned for public office before, also said he wanted to focus on “overburdened regulations and high impact fees facing businesses [and] out of control spending.”

His criticism of elected officials seemed directed at Elk Grove City Councilmember Gary Davis, the only one of his opponents who is a current council member.

Reached by phone, Davis said he welcomes Braxmeyer to the discussion about Elk Grove’s future and would strive to keep that conversation positive.

“Elk Grove’s first directly elected mayor is about much more than politics,” he said. “It’s about the vision for our city, and to me that’s job growth and retention, strong and safe neighborhoods and cultivating cultural and educational and athletic amenities.”

UPS store owner Greg Higley, who ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2008, is also running for mayor but could not immediately be reached Thursday.

Elk Grovians will directly elect their mayor this November for the first time since the city's founding in 2000. Until now, City Council members have chosen a new mayor from among themselves each year.