If early election returns are any indication, Larry Madoski, Ryan Mackey, and Matt Cultrera will be the next three members of the Ripon Consolidated Fire District’s Board of Directors.

According to the 11 p.m. posting by the San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters, Madoski – an administrator at the Lathrop Manteca Fire District – was the leading vote getting in a three-way race that featured four candidates and had amassed 2,947 votes or 30.29 percent of the overall vote. Mackey trailed Madoski by only 10 votes, and Cultrera – the lone incumbent – was in third place with 1,937 votes or 19.91 percent of the votes cast.

Sheri Coburn trailed Cultrera by only 38 votes as of 11 p.m. on Tuesday.

Because of the sheer number of ballots that were cast on Tuesday – many absentee ballots that were either mailed in or dropped off at county-approved drop boxes – it could be a number of days, or longer, before the final votes are tabulated.

The incoming board won’t get a lot of time to rest before having to make decisions about the future of the district, either.

After a failed property tax bid in an attempt to generate enough revenue to fully staff its stations – including the city’s newest fire station on River Road which is currently unmanned – the district is searching for ways to generate the revenue necessary to fully protect the community as a special district.

Ripon is also unique in that the district provides its own ambulance service to residents and is one of the last remaining agencies in San Joaquin County to do so.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.