In a political world where it is increasingly rare to find a politician who truly puts his constituents first, returns emails or phone calls, remembers your name, and looks you in the eye when he talks to you and not at you, that is Channce Condit.
He is that unique political leader who sees every problem as a new opportunity to create a better solution to help taxpayers of all ages, incomes, and ethnicities.
Stanislaus County Supervisor Channce Condit is an excellent example of someone open to disagreeing with his colleagues and places Westside residents' interests first. He defines the true courage of conviction in his approach to representing District 5, which includes West Modesto, Patterson, Newman, Crows Landing, Grayson, Wesley, Ceres, Empire, and Keyes.
There is no better example of this than when he voted against two pay increases for Stanislaus County department heads and executive officers. The supervisor believed that the $1 million savings should be used to increase the wages of other employees. Equally as important, Channce refused to accept the pay raise for himself; instead, he donated it to a nonprofit.
Condit has made health care one of his priorities, always seeking solutions to ensure his constituents have access to care and affordable prescription medications. He refused to hear that Patterson and the county’s West Side could never have its hospital again. He recognized the need for a solution, so he convinced Sutter Health to collaborate with the Del Puerto Health District to launch an urgent care in Patterson in early 2024 to help ensure the Westside had 24/7 coverage.
When Legacy Health Endowment (LHE) announced a $2 generic drug program and a $2 insulin program in 2022, Condit was among the first elected officials to ask, “How do my constituents sign up?”
When LHE launched its Person-Centered Care (long-term care at home) last year to help ensure that elderly and disabled residents could avoid placement in a nursing home, Condit was again the first county official to ask, “How can my constituents sign up?”
West Modesto has been waiting to see its fair share of services for too long. With Condit’s help, construction on sidewalks and infrastructure improvements is finally starting.
Recognizing the importance of a strong and vibrant fire department, Condit assisted in securing funding for new fire vehicles for the West Stanislaus Fire Protection District and $15,000 for West Stanislaus Fire Explorer Post 935.
The list of accomplishments goes on. Despite success as a county supervisor, Condit has never forgotten that he is there to help make people’s lives better. To be their voice when others refuse, to listen and learn, and to ensure the county government never forgets its job: helping and caring for every resident.
Condit has built a career around harnessing a constellation of solutions to help his constituents and others while never forgetting about being a father, a husband, a son, and a friend.
Few leaders who walk among us can be called faithful public servants, but Channce Condit is. Humble, caring, courageous, and committed to his constituents: that description means something in an era of conflicting political voices.
— Jeffrey Lewis is the President and CEO of Legacy Health Endowment and the EMC Health Foundation. The words expressed are his own.
