Today was a filing deadline of sorts for the upcoming November election. That is, if the incumbent has filed for re-election, then today was the last day to file to challenge. Otherwise, the filing period stays open until next Friday. And based on today’s filings, it looks like there will be some contested races, but the Harbor District may not be one of them.
Incumbent 5th Division Harbor Commissioner Pat Higgins has filed for re-election, but the much rumored challenge from former champion triathlete Mike Pigg did not materialize, so Mr Higgins will be unopposed. Meanwhile, neither of the remaining incumbents, Roy Curless and Ronnie Pellegrini have filed, so those filing periods remain open.
If there are no further filings, Newman and Dale could signal a continuing shift in the Harbor District’s direction towards aquaculture instead of port development, as a recent Headwaters Fund Board grant indicates.
So where are the contested races? Well, they seem to be focused on community service districts and school boards, though not the College of the Redwoods board, where all incumbents are running unopposed. In McKinleyville, incumbents Helen Edwards and John Corbett will be challenged by perennial gadfly David Elsenbusch. And in Willow Creek, incumbents Bruce Nelson, Judy Gower and Tom O’Gorman will be challenged by former WCSD board member Marc Rowley and by Joe O’Hara. Also, the always contentious Manila Community Services District had at least five candidates, though that filing period remains open for another week.
Meanwhile, McKinleyville Union School District trustees Brian Mitchell and Sara Alto will face a challenge from Mary C McCarthy, and Eureka City Schools President Judy Anderson will be challenged for her Division 4 seat by Susan Johnson. Blue Lake Union School District remains open until next Friday with more than enough candidates to guarantee a lively race.
But, for some real fun, keep your eyes open on the Board of Supervisors deliberations on Tuesday, when they take up redistricting, which could have some real impact on the 2012 elections. Under all three plans proposed by the redistricting committee (2A, 3A and 6A), it would appear that already announced 1st District supervisor candidate Rex Bohn’s current residence is slated to be moved to the 4th District, now represented by neighbor Virginia Bass (whose seat is not up until 2014). Of course, the Supes have final say and can come up with their own plan. but that may be harder to do after the extensive process that produced the three recommendations. And there is plenty of time for Rex to move to another 1st district domicile.
And why has there been no attention paid in the media or the blogs to the first candidate to file for 1st District Supervisor, Annette deModena, who filed back on May 20th? A superficial Google search would indicate she is a retired teacher at Zane Middle School. It was not clear how the redistricting proposals could affect her potential candidacy. Word is that her campaign is being spearheaded by former Ryan Sundberg and Nancy Flemming campaign manager Rich Mostranski.
CLICK TO MANAGE