Healdsburg City Council, school board race shaping up for Nov. 3 election

The filing period for submitting nomination and election forms for the Nov. 3 General Election was extended to Wednesday, Aug. 12 for the Healdsburg City Council and the Healdsburg Unified School District race. Incumbents Councilmember Joe Naujokas and Vice Mayor Shaun McCaffery recently announced their intention to not seek re-election for a second term in office and thus did not file their nomination papers, triggering the five-day extension.

Healdsburg City Council

Three city council seats held by David Hagele, McCaffery and Naujokas are up for election this November.

Five candidates have filed for the Healdsburg City Council race and as of Aug. 11, all five candidates have qualified for the 2020 ballot.

Candidates include Charles A. Duffy, a retired Healdsburg resident of 20 years who’s worked in higher education administration; incumbent David Hagele, who was elected to the city council in 2016; Doralice Handal, the former owner of The Cheese Shop of Healdsburg; Corazón Healdsburg CEO Ariel Kelley; and Skylaer Palacios, a Healdsburg High School alumna and a performing arts educator.

Healdsburg Unified School District Board of Trustees

There are three seats available for the Healdsburg Unified School District (HUSD) Board of Trustees. HUSD is the largest school district in the area north of Windsor and serves the city of Healdsburg, as well as the Fitch Mountain area.

The HUSD seats currently held by Aracely Romo-Flores, Jamie Kiff and Judy Velasquez, are up for election.

According to the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters office, three people have pulled nomination papers and have qualified for the ballot. This includes incumbent, Aracely Romo-Flores; Cristal Lopez Pardo, a Sonoma State University alumna and Healdsburg resident who works at The Healdsburg School, a private grade school; and Healdsburg resident Rose McAllister.

McAllister, a Healdsburg Elementary School parent, previously ran for a school board seat in 2018, but lost to the top two vote-getters, Donna Del Rey and Mike Potmesil, who both received around 27% of the vote.

Other local races

There are three seats up for election for the North Sonoma County Health Care District, the five-member governing board that oversees The Healdsburg District Hospital, which serves the north county area.

The health care district seats currently up for election are held by Erin Gore, James Nantell and David Anderson. As of Aug. 11, all incumbents have pulled papers and have qualified for the ballot.

There are two seats available for the West Side Union School District, the district that houses West Side School on Felta Road. Incumbent  Patricia J. Bertapelle has filed papers for the election and has qualified for the ballot.

Two incumbents for the two-seat Alexander Valley Union School District race, Yvonne M. Kreck and Derek M. Peachey, have filed for the election and have qualified for the ballot.

How to file

According to Wendy Hudson, chief deputy for the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters, any resident interested in becoming a candidate for a school or special district office can either call 707-565-6800 or email ro***********@so***********.org to schedule an appointment. 

Anybody interested in becoming a candidate for a city office should call or email their respective city clerk’s office for further information about when and how to file.