Dick Spotswood: Tight elections expected for multiple Marin supervisor races

The attention of too many voters has been diverted from serious local fiscal and governance topics to intentionally divisive focused group tested emotional issues.

Filing has closed for all offices on the March 5 primary election ballot.

In Marin, the marquee race will be for a member of the five-member county Board of Supervisors in the Second District. That’s been the bailiwick of Supervisor Katie Rice, who is retiring after a long period of service.

District 2 includes San Anselmo, Fairfax, Oak Manor, Ross, Larkspur, Greenbrae, Kentfield, Kent Woodlands, Sleepy Hollow and the San Rafael neighborhoods of Gerstle Park, Bret Hart, Lomita Park and unincorporated California Park.

Four candidates have filed. All four are serious, intelligent and have relevant government experience. In the past, all four ran clean, issue-focused campaigns.

This is one race where the recent phenomena – the nationalization of politics – hasn’t intruded.

The candidates’ debates won’t be consumed by the cultural wars. That implies the issues that have consumed and degraded national politics and have now often wormed their way into local elections won’t dominate the Second District contest.

The result of this nationalization is that the attention of too many voters has been diverted from serious local fiscal and governance topics to intentionally divisive focused group tested emotional issues. The result is that important issues fester.

Instead, candidates will concentrate on local issues that directly affect the quality of life for District 2 residents. Voters should celebrate that they’ll have the opportunity to participate with the candidates in a serious districtwide conversation.

The candidates, along with their self-chosen ballot descriptions are: Brian Colbert, San Anselmo Councilmember; businesswoman Heather McPhail Sridharan; Ryan O’Neil, governing board member of the Ross Valley School District; and Gabe Paulson, a CEO and Larkspur City Council member. These brief descriptions understate the candidates’ substantial political and professional qualifications.

All four have committed to participate in the campaign forum sponsored by the Marin Coalition of Sensible Taxpayers. It’s scheduled for Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. I’ll be the moderator.

In Marin’s supervisorial District 3, incumbent Stephanie Moulton-Peters is unopposed for her second four-year term. The Third District includes all Southern Marin. In these divisive times, lack of opposition is a high compliment to the past Mill Valley mayor.

Marin’s so-called coastal Board of Supervisors district will see a competitive election. The Fourth District includes West Marin, western Novato, San Geronimo Valley, San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood, eastern Larkspur (including San Quentin), Corte Madera, and Homestead Valley in unincorporated Mill Valley.

Two candidates are vying for the seat. The incumbent Dennis Rodoni of Point Reyes Station is seeking a third term. Rodoni was previously a construction contractor and an elected director of the North Marin Water District.

His opponent is West Novato’s Francis “Frank” Drouillard. Professionally, Drouillard is a civil engineer. In the political realm, he’s an appointed member of the Novato Police Advisory and Review Board. He is an elected member of Marin Republican Central Committee.

Drouillard is chair of the Marin Election Integrity Committee, which was just spun off from the official Marin GOP.

Here’s where the nationalization of politics intervenes. MEIC is a manifestation of those who doubt the integrity of American elections. They strongly oppose voting by mail but only when ballots are sent to all registered voters, not just those who affirmatively chose a postal ballot.

In my next column, set to publish in Wednesday’s edition, I’ll examine the other candidates and measures on Marin’s primary election ballot. That’ll include a three-way contested race for one seat on the Larkspur City Council.

It also includes an odd contest for Marin’s Republican Central Committee. Thirty-six Republicans are actively running on opposing slates to fill 21 seats on the obscure and powerless panel. The equally obscure and powerless Democratic Central Committee sees 25 candidates for the same number of seats. All have now been automatically elected without opposition.

Columnist Dick Spotswood of Mill Valley writes on local issues Sundays and Wednesdays. Email him at spotswood@comcast.net.