Final election results usher in historic turnover on Sebastopol City Council and high school board

Candidates - now soon-to-be office holders - look forward to their first meetings

I know the Nov. 8 election seems like a long time ago, but the election results have finally been certified by the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters, and the result is…the same.

Well, OK, not exactly the same: more votes were counted, and Sebastopol’s voter turnout cranked up to a respectable 72-73% in the three races the Sebastopol Times has been watching, but other than that nothing changed. The candidates that looked like they were winning a few weeks ago actually did win.

Here are the final results:

Sebastopol City Council

Stephen Zollman 22.10%
Jill McLewis 21.61%
Sandra Maurer 21.18%
Oliver Dick 18%
Dennis Colthurst 17.12%

There were three open seats so the winners are Zollman, McLewis and Maurer.

West Sonoma County Union High School District

Debbie Ramirez 57.39%
David Patrick Nagle 42.61%

Debbie Ramirez was the winner in this election.

Sebastopol Union School District

Lisa Bauman 30.56%
Deborah E. Drehmel 28%
Elizabeth Smith 24.04%
Joseph Pogar Jr. 17.40%

There were three open seats so the winners are Bauman, Drehmel and Smith.

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Note of Conflict of Interest: In addition to being the co-publisher of the Sebastopol Times, the author of this piece is also a part-time, temporary contractor for the city of Sebastopol. The news reported in this article, and any opinions reflected therein, are not dictated by or reflective of the opinions of the city council or staff of the city of Sebastopol.

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Sebastopol City Council on verge of historic turnover

Sebastopol’s three new city council members, Stephen Zollman, Jill McLewis and Sandra Maurer, will be sworn in at the next Sebastopol council meeting, to be held on Zoom, on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 6 pm. There are three outgoing members—Sarah Gurney, Una Glass and Patrick Slayter.

This is a rare shift. “I can’t think of a time when three seats on the council turned over all at once,” City Manager Larry McLaughlin said.

We reached out to the three winning candidates this weekend to find out what they wanted to say to their new constituents and what they saw as their next order of business.

“I am honored and ready to serve this community,” Maurer said. After thanking her donors, endorsers, sign hosts, campaign team and family, she thanked the voters of Sebastopol. “Thank you to the voters for having faith in me. This was a close election. I hope to earn the trust of those who did not vote for me. I want to do a good job, to listen, and I will aim to be hard on the issues and soft on people. I’m ready to get to work.”

It was a sentiment echoed by top vote getter Stephen Zollman: “I would like to say thank you to everyone and that I am truly humbled. I am looking forward to earning everyone's trust. Please reach out at any time.” 

Jill McLewis said, “I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone who voted for me and supported my campaign, especially the Sebastopol Volunteer Firefighters.  I truly appreciate everyone’s hard work, support and so many people taking the time to speak with me when I knocked on their door.”

At their first council meeting on Dec. 6, the new councilmembers will participate in choosing a new mayor and vice mayor. Later, at either the Dec. 20 or Jan. 3 meetings, they’ll vote on which committees to work on, according to City Clerk Mary Gourley.

Looking forward, Maurer said, “Beyond that, I’d like to find ways to raise revenue, focus on community vitality, keep the fire department local, and to enhance public health and safety, create an EMF task force.”

McLewis said, “I plan to work on the priorities that I established in my campaign, in addition to highlighting the concerns residents expressed during our many conversations.  I’ll be working in concert with my colleagues regarding the established agenda and hope that voters will attend the December 6th council meeting to participate in the election of the new Mayor and Vice Mayor for 2023.” 

“Finally, I’d like to say congratulations to my new colleagues elected as new councilmembers!” McLewis added.

Both Maurer and Zollman echoed McLewis’s hope that people will tune in for the Dec. 6 council meeting, noting that it was also a chance for the public to thank the outgoing members of the council, who have collectively served on the city council for more than 35 years.  

Maurer said, “The meeting is an opportunity for the public to thank them for their many years of service to Sebastopol.”

“Please tune in to listen to our outgoing leaders, and to thank them for their years of dedication,” Zollman said.

Sebastopol’s Debbie Ramirez is readying herself to tackle the challenges of the West Sonoma County Union High School District

Debbie Ramirez promised during her campaign to focus on fiscal responsibility, engagement, and school climate.

“These priorities require public input, she said. “What I’d like to say to my constituents, and to all WSCUHSD stakeholders, is this: I would like to hear from you. The district will be establishing an email address for me in the near future, but in the meantime, I will keep my info@DebbieRamirez4SchoolBoard.com address active. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.”

Ramirez said that she met with WSCUHSD Superintendent Chris Meredith last week. “My next order of business is to review the budget—specifically the forecasting for the 2023-24 school year,” she said. “I plan to schedule a briefing later this week with Chief Business Official Andrew Soliz after the 1st Interim Report is published. It will be on the agenda at  the upcoming Dec. 14 meeting—which is also when trustees Buchner, Chernila, and I will be seated.”

Regarding school climate, Ramirez noted that she had attended a student-produced town hall panel and discussion on inclusion and belonging at Analy on Nov. 17.

“I look forward to delving more into stakeholder priorities in this area and, along with the full board, utilizing the tools available such as survey, enrollment, and attendance data to help prioritize improvements to school culture where needed.”