Samantha Dussell

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Samantha Dussell

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 5, 2024

Personal

Birthplace

Fresno, Calif.

Religion

Born Again Christian

Profession

Homemaker

Contact

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Samantha Dussell ran for election for Mayor of Fresno in California. She lost in the primary on March 5, 2024.

Dussell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Samantha Dussell was born in Fresno, California. Her career experience includes working as a homemaker.

Elections

2024

See also: Mayoral election in Fresno, California (2024)

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Fresno

Incumbent Jerry Dyer won election outright against James Barr and Samantha Dussell in the primary for Mayor of Fresno on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jerry Dyer (Nonpartisan)	80.0	55,872
	Submit photo	James Barr (Nonpartisan)	14.2	9,910
		Samantha Dussell (Nonpartisan)	5.8	4,046

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 69,828
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Richard Renteria (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Dussell in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Samantha Dussell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dussell's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am proud to be running for Mayor of Fresno. I am a daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother. I was born and raised in Fresno until my early twenties when I moved with my husband and children to another city. My connection to Fresno has never ceased and we moved back over a year ago to be closer to my mother, Rosalie, who also was born in Fresno and lived here for over 80 years until her recent passing. Since then, my husband and I have decided to stay and call Fresno our home.

I have learned and realized the importance of exercising our civic responsibilities can include more than just supporting and voting people into office, many times it is not enough. Equally important is participation or actions of advocacy for various causes, such as political, economic, civil, environmental, or quality of life issues. Everyone has a right to become involved in all levels of government. . I will exercise my right as an American citizen and fulfill my civic responsibilities by participating in the changes that need to happen in the City of Fresno.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Transparency - To lead and establish a unified effort with and between the City Council and Board of Supervisors with an awareness and maturity level from each person to acknowledge that trust, cooperation, mutual respect, and transparency is absolutely vital to solving problems and getting things done. The strengthening and betterment of the community should be our goal.
• Protect and Support Our Most Vulnerable - To protect our children, elderly, and dependent adults by working with Fresno County CPS, APS, and the State Ombudsman in conjunction with our Police Department to provide an understanding of each department’s role regarding prevention and intervention of abuse cases. I will ensure law enforcement, first responders and all those involved with cases of abuse are equipped and trained with available support, resources and tools that are designed to assist in identifying, intervening, and resolving cases of abuse and neglect. This will include using an easy-to-use phone resource that can be accessed anytime for elder abuse and using this as a model to help with child abuse investigations.
• Expose Waste, Fraud and Mismanagement of Funds - To assess existing government agencies and non-profits that provide services to our most vulnerable: children, youth, elderly, dependent adults, and the unhoused. Then establish a coordinated access system (centralized database) that other communities have used with success. This system will streamline, assess, collect, and display real-time data on clients and shows available services and support to ensure that people can connect in a timely and efficient manner.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Elder and dependent adult abuse, not only in their own home but in skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities. and licensed residential homes. I have witnessed firsthand the lack of care that is provided in some of these facilities in Fresno. Homelessness, not only reducing the number but reducing the stigma by educating the public about the plight of the homeless. We all need to understand the effects of malnutrition, dehydration, and lack of basic personal hygiene (i.e. brushing teeth and showering) on someone's mental health. Also, what it's like even at 60 degrees when you are soaked to the bone from being stuck out in the rain. Which is why we need to raise the required temperature to open the warming centers.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

First and foremost an elected official should be transparent with the people they represent by keeping them informed on upcoming policies and measures that are coming up for vote. This way he/she can receive feedback from the public to make an informed decision on how to cast his/her vote. Elected officials represent the people each as individuals and as a whole and must put the needs and desires of the people before personal goals and the goals of major donors.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Determination and passion to help my community. The willingness to serve and be an example. Compassion to reach out and help our most vulnerable. Detail oriented to watch for wasteful spending. An attitude of collaboration and cooperation to work with the city council for the betterment of our community.

What legacy would you like to leave?

For my children, grandchildren and future generations, I would like my legacy to be one of compassion and the restoration of "community" in Fresno. I want them to remember me as someone who fought and strived to make my community a place where people wanted to be. I want people to get involved in their community and exercise their civic duties and responsibilities. We are all human and we all have our strengths and weaknesses. If each one of us used our strengths to help those immediately around us we would all benefit and be a part of the strengthening of our community as a whole. As an individual you can't help everyone but if each individual helped someone we would all be better off.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. I was a senior in high school.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Right now it is "Do the Dussell". It is a song and dance to encourage people to register and vote. It is a twist of "Do the Hustle" from the 1970s.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

The biggest personal struggle I have had to deal with is overcoming the lies of inadequacy due to educational, economic, and social limitations that have kept many like me confined and excluded from participating in societal issues that affect our community.

A mayor is a leader in his or her city. What does that mean to you?

A leader should be able to collaborate, cooperate and negotiate without compromising beliefs or lowering standards. They should be involved and immersed in their community, not for photo-ops or publicity, but to show they are willing to do what they are asking their community to do.

What do you perceive to be your city's greatest challenges over the next decade?

The greatest challenge to the City of Fresno for the next decade is to not allow the current issues of homelessness, affordable housing and poor infrastructure to get worse while fixing the underlying issues of tax revenue sharing with the county, financial transparency and mismanagement of funds so we can proceed in addressing the real needs of this community.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the mayor's office and law enforcement?

The mayor's office should work with law enforcement to make sure they have enough officers and staff, training, tools, and resources to keep the community safe without the use of excessive force or intimidation. The mayor's office should leave most policy making decisions to the departments chief and administrative officers.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Many of the people I have spoken to out in the community have given up on our local government because of the lack of transparency and accountability. They see the large amount of money that has been reported to have been received by our city and county government with a lack of results or progress and so they wonder where the money is going. So, complete financial transparency can help eliminate wasteful spending, fraud and mismanagement of funds because the public would be able to see the plan for spending before it is spent which would eliminate secret meetings, hidden funds and favors to major donors and friends.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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