The official application period for three seats on the Healdsburg City Council, and three on the Healdsburg Unified School District Board of Trustees, is now open and runs until Friday, Aug. 9. Three seats are also available in Windsor, one for the mayor’s office and two town council seats. Two seats for the city council are open in Cloverdale, as well.
City Councils
The three Healdsburg City Council seats are those currently held by Ariel Kelley, Ron Edwards and David Hagele. Edwards was elected to a two-year term to fill an open seat in 2022; he has made no secret of his intention to run for a full four-year term this fall and has already pulled papers to do so, as has Mayor Hagele.
In Windsor, the available seats include the mayor’s office (elected separately in the municipality) currently held by Rosa Reynoza, and the town council seats held by Sam Salmon and Deborah Fudge, both longtime councilmembers. Windsor elects its council by district—Salmon is in District 2 and Fudge in District 3. Councilmembers are elected for four-year terms.
The mayor’s office is elected throughout the township, and the term is for two years. Reynoza has pulled papers to run for another term, as has Salmon in District 2. Another candidate in that district, John S. Leyba, has also pulled papers to run. In District 3, JB Leep and David A Stankas have pulled their nomination papers. Incumbent Deborah Fudge said she would not seek re-election.
There are also two city council seats up for election in Cloverdale this fall, both for four-year terms. The seats are currently held by Todd Lands and Melanie Bagby.
School Board
The Healdsburg Unified School District board has five trustees, and three of the seats are open for election this November. Currently, the board consists of President Aracely Romo Flores, Vice President Guadalupe Lopez Jimenez, Cristal Lopez Pardo, Mike Potmesil and Rose McCallister. The seats held by Romo Flores, Lopez Pardo and McCallister are the ones up for election.
“The job of a trustee is a commitment but is also very rewarding, as they are instrumental in serving our community’s families through setting a vision for the education of the children of Healdsburg,” said HUSD Superintendent Chris Vanden Heuvel.
For the school board seats, two candidates filed by the end of the first week—Danielle Kucera and Skyler Osborn. Vanden Heuvel said that McCallister would also be seeking re-election.
In general, qualifications for elected office include a minimum age of 18, proof of citizenship and residence in the area of eligibility. Councilmembers and other candidates are required to file Form 700 that discloses assets and income which may materially affect their official actions.
