Election 2012 Notebook
By Jay Gamel
I’ll try to keep you up to date on campaign news in the First District as this crowded race moves into the election season. Note to candidates: if I don’t know about it, I can’t write about it.
Until a couple of weeks ago, there were six people running to replace Supervisor Valerie Brown: (in alphabetical order) Mark Bramfitt, Gina Cuclis, Susan Gorin, Will Pier, Keith Rhinehart, and John Sawyer.
Now there are five. Will Pier withdrew from the race and endorsed Santa Rosa City Councilwoman Susan Gorin. Pier was narrowly defeated by Brown in the 2008 election despite heavily outspending him. Gorin and her husband have just moved from their Fountaingrove home to Oakmont to meet residency requirements since their Santa Rosa home lies just outside the newly expanded First District boundary.
Redistricting has added more Santa Rosa residents to the voter rolls, making the job more attractive to city residents. The seat has traditionally been held by someone living in the Valley of the Moon, either the unincorporated areas or the City of Sonoma. Both Gorin and Sawyer serve on the Santa Rosa city council, and the newest candidate, Keith Rhinehart, is also a city resident, though he is without a strong government background.
A former UPS driver and supervisor, Rhinehart says he wants to trim government, both by size and expenditures. He wants better education for children, but is against high pensions and management salaries. He’d also like to present a plan for all-inclusive health care for all Sonoma County residents. You can read more about Rhinehart and most of the candidates at their websites. Links to these sites are on the Kenwood Press website, www.kenwoodpress.com, under the new section, Elections 2012.
So far, there are two firm dates scheduled for debates, with possibly two more to be announced later.
Anyone wishing to run for the job has until March 14 to formally file in this election cycle at the County Registrar’s Office. The primary election will be June 5, with the final vote set to be certified by July 5. If no candidate receives over 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote getters will have a runoff election in November’s main election.
Events
Feb. 15 – The first candidates debate is sponsored by the Santa Rosa-based California Parenting Institute. This debate will focus on children’s issues, including health care and welfare, early-intervention services, and a potential local tax ballot measure. Candidates will answer submitted questions and there will be a question and answer period later. It will be held at the county’s Central Library in Santa Rosa from noon to 2 p.m.Feb. 27 – Susan Gorin has a kickoff party/fundraiser at Chateau St. Jean., Kenwood, 5:30-7 p.m.
March 1 – Gina Cuclis is having a “Celebrate our Valley” fundraiser at Ledson Winery, Kenwood, 5:30-7 p.m.
May 2 – The Oakmont Democratic Club has scheduled a candidates forum, with details to be announced later.
The League of Women Voters will not prepare a debate forum until after the final filing date on March 14.
