Candidate for
Mayor; City of Sacramento

Ross W. Relles, Jr.

A lifelong resident of Sacramento, Ross Relles was born November 22, 1941. Relles attended high school at C. K. McClatchy and Christian Brothers. He also attended San Francisco City College and Sacramento City College, majoring in Business.

Relles was a three-time candidate for Mayor. He was the top vote getter in the September 1983 race against City Council members Anne Rudin and Joe Serna. He came within one percentage point of an upset victory over incumbent Anne Rudin in the November run-off election.

The 1983 Relles campaign theme was his vision of a Sacramento future that includes new, clean industry and the jobs our city needs. The first step, Relles maintained, was bringing the Kansas City Kings to Sacramento. Today, mostly due to the efforts of Ross, the Kings are in Sacramento and contributing more than $30 million annually to the local economy.

As a businessman, Ross has always maintained that a successfully managed city government must have the active participation and support of the business community. It was his public/private partnership concept that catapulted Ross to the political prominence and widespread public support.

A local businessman, Ross got his early start in business by working with his father in the family-owned Relles Florist.

For over 30 years Ross has been an executive in the insurance business. He currently runs The Relles Company, which specialized in insurance, employee benefits and investments. Ross services many of the area's businesses. He also owned, and has since sold, Artie's Starlite Fountain on J Street and owns the Chevron service station on 30th and K, a Union 76 station in Roseville and a Card Lock Station on South River Road.

In addition to running his successful businesses, Ross is one of the more community-oriented businessmen in Sacramento. He is best known for his active participation in the Optimist Club of Sacramento. Ross serves as Board Chairman and Game Director for the annual Optimist All-Star football game, a showcase for the best high school football players in the area and a launching pad for many illustrious collegiate and professional football careers.

All the money raised in the Optimist All-Star game goes to fund Camp Ross Relles for handicapped and socially or economically deprived children.

Ross currently serves on the Foundation for Eskaton. He is also the President of the Lincoln Club of Sacramento, a political organization dedicated to supporting Republican candidates.

His many other community activities in the past include sitting on the Board of Directors for:

Sacramento Chamber of Commerce Sports Committee
Sacramento Science Center - Junior Museum
Sacramento Symphony Board
United Cerebral Palsy
Board of Governors for the YMCA
Old Sacramento Little League
Sacramento Trade Club
University Club
Sacred Heart Church
Governor Appointee to the Capital Area Committee

In addition, Ross was a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Leukemia Society where he was the Sacramento delegate to the National Convention in San Francisco.

Ross has also raised funds for KVIE-TV, YMCA, Boy Scouts and the Food Locker Regional Foundation.

Ross is a well-known sports enthusiast. He played football at San Francisco City College. He was a Sacramento Little League team manager for three years and also coached Pop Warner football and soccer.

Ross has been married to his wife, Lynne, since 1964. They have two children, Meg and Ross III, and three grandchildren, Gregory, Emily and Olivia.

The Relles family makes their home in East Sacramento.