Following a sometimes contentious discussion about democracy, punctuality and finances, Sonoma’s City Council voted 3-2 last night to forego a November general election and appoint sole candidates Laurie Gallian and current Mayor Joanne Sanders to the agency’s two open seats.
The move, which eliminates the possibility of a November write-in candidacy, will save the city an estimated $7-8,000 in election fees contracted through the Sonoma County Clerk’s office. Sanders herself cast the tie-breaking vote, with Mayor Pro Tem Ken Brown and Councilmember August Sebastiani dissenting.
“It could be argued that it’s a misuse of public funds to hold this election,” Sanders said, expressing her long-held commitment to city finances and saying that the only reason she decided to run for a second term was that no one else had stepped forward after Gallian announced her own candidacy in July.
Generally, Sonoma’s council race sees more candidates when an incumbent chooses not to run – 2002’s three-vacancy council election drew nine candidates, and 2004 and 2006 saw six people apiece vying for two seats. California’s Election Code states that when the number of qualified candidates equals the number of available seats, the governing body can either appoint them or hold a general election which opens the field to write-in candidates.
Voting with Sanders were Councilmembers Stanley Cohen and Steve Barbose. In May, Cohen announced he would not seek re-election, and he said last night that he’d done so early in order to draw more people into the process – and that he found it “very embarrassing” that Sonoma is the only city in the county without a 2008 election.
“If people haven’t come forth, that’s just the way it is … to me, it says you haven’t made the commitment,” Cohen said.
Barbose also expressed disappointment that more people hadn’t entered the race. He agreed with Cohen that a last-minute write-in campaign – which would have to spend more money in order to make up for lost time – could have a bad effect on Sonoma politics. He added that the $7-8,000 election fee would be better invested as budget allocations to such local non-profits such as Meals on Wheels and the La Luz Center. “They’d love to have the money, and they could put it to better use,” he said.
Sebastiani and Brown favored holding the election, with Sebastiani – a staunch foe of what he calls “state-subsidized housing” – saying he was “taken aback” that the city would spend millions of dollars on affordable homes yet balk at spending a far lesser amount for an election.
“The write-in process is part of the democratic process,” he said, adding later, “I am very disappointed in the direction this council is going tonight.”
