Candidates Finalized for Local Elections

Sebastopol City Council and West County School Boards on the ballot

Here is the list of candidates running for Sebastopol City Council and school boards in West County.

Sebastopol City Council

Mary Gourley, City Clerk of Sebastopol, confirmed the final list of candidates. There are five candidates for three open seats.

• Dennis Colthurst

• Oliver Dick

• Jill McLewis

• Sandra Mauer

• Stephen Zollman

Jack Piccinini withdrew. Kyle Falbo and Andrew J. Levis did not file. (Source: City of Sebastopol ).

School Board Races

The list of candidates for the various school boards in West County is provided below. However, the list will not be finalized until the week of August 22, 2022. (Source: Sonoma County Registrar.)

West Sonoma County Union High School District

What’s new in this race, which for the first time will choose trustees by area, is that Shawn Chernila is the candidate for Area 1. The only contested race will be for the At-Large seat to which Patrick Nagle was appointed. He is running to fill the remaining two years of the term. His opponent is Debbie Ramirez, who has served previously on the Sebastopol Union School Board.

• West Sonoma County Union High School District, Trustee Area 1, 1 seat

  • SHAWN CHERNILA

• West Sonoma County Union High School District, Trustee Area 3, 1 seat

  • JEANNE BASSETT FERNANDES

• West Sonoma County Union High School District, Trustee Area 5, 1 seat

  • LEWIS BUCHNER

• West Sonoma County Union High School District, At-Large (Short Term - 2 years) 1 seat

  • DAVID PATRICK NAGLE

  • DEBBIE RAMIREZ

Contested Elementary School Board Races

The only contested race for a school board is Sebastopol Union School District with four people running for three seats.

Sebastopol Union School District, 3 seats

• LISA BAUMAN

• DEBORAH E. DREHMEL

• JOSEPH POGAR, JR

• ELIZABETH SMITH

Lisa Bauman is a new challenger. Deborah Drehmel, Joseph Pogar, Jr and Elizabeth Smith are incumbents.

Uncontested Elementary School Board Races

For most school board elections in West County, the number of candidates running is the same as or fewer than the number of available seats. Most school boards will have unfilled seats.

• Forestville Union School District, 3 seats

  • MAX BROOME

  • JAMIE STAPLETON

  • LINDA THOMAS STRAUSS

• Fort Ross School District, 2 seats

  • TOM SCHMIDT 

• Gravenstein Union School District, 3 seats

  • GREGORY L. APPLING

  • PATRICK LEI

• Gravenstein Union School District (Short Term - 2 years), 1 seat

  • JERRI MCNEILL

• Guerneville School District, 3 seats

  • GAY GUIDOTTI

  • ISABEL R KLEIN

  • JOHN KORNFELD

• Harmony Union School District, 3 seats

  • ANDREW CONE

  • YURI SPRINGSTORM KOSLEN

  • CHARLIE LAIRD

• Monte Rio Union School District, 3 seats

  • ROGER COLLINS

  • ZENA MELLO

• Monte Rio Union School District (Short Term - 2 years), 1 seat

  • MARGO EACHUS

• Oak Grove Union School District, 3 seats

  • ANITA M. ORTEGA

  • STEPHEN SMILIE

  • CHRIS TOPHAM

• Twin Hills Union School District, 3 seats

  • MELISSA BECHTEL

  • JOHN MOISE