Seven people are running for three seats on the Sebastopol City Council. One takeaway from the Friday night City Council candidate forum was that two of the seven each have four years of experience that they believe can help them be even more effective in their next term, while the other five candidates, who would be new to elected office, offer fresh perspectives and new energy. Apparently, other cities in the Bay Area, such as Calistoga, are having trouble recruiting candidates, especially younger ones, to run for mayor and city council, and they are having to cancel elections and just appoint new council members, according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Friday’s Sebastopol City Council candidates forum, which was organized by the Sebastopol Times and the Sebastopol Grange, drew approximately 100 people who came to hear the candidates speak in person about why they are running for office and other hot-button issues in town.
We are working hard to produce a forum transcript for those who missed the event. That will hit your inbox later this afternoon.
Trashlantis rides again
Yesterday’s annual Trashlantis event began with a costumed bike (and mobile art) rally through the streets and trails of Sebastopol and included a Trashion Fashion show, live music, and more. Here are some pics from the day:
Meet School Board candidates this Tuesday
Sebastopol Times is organizing a forum for local candidates in the running for open seats on the West Sonoma County Union High School District board. This forum will be held at the library on the El Molino campus in Forestville on Oct. 20, from 6 pm to 7:30 pm.
The only contested race is for the Area #4 seat. Lewis Buchner, a one-term incumbent, is challenged by Dani Sheehan-Meyer, a community volunteer. Follow this link to read the statements of both candidates in the ballot guide.
Denny Rosatti, a public affairs consultant, is running unopposed for the Area #3 seat. Harold Kwalwasser, a writer, is running unopposed for the Area #1 seat, and he is out of town during the forum. Julie Aiello, who was selected to fill out the term of Rio Kuteira, who resigned from the board, was also invited to attend the forum.
Come hear from the candidates and take the opportunity to meet them in person and ask questions.
‘Growing our Future’ at Graton Flower and Plant Show
“Homespun” is the word that came to mind walking through the Graton Flower and Plant Show on Saturday at the Graton Community Club. It was as if old scrapbooks had come to life, bringing back precious moments from a different time. At the far end of the room was an arrangement of potted plants and gardening equipment with the faces of children as flowers. Elsewhere there were fresh and dried flower displays on long tables. In a corner, a gentleman was playing an old, upright piano.
The shows in spring and fall, a tradition dating back to the 1920s, raise money for the Graton Community Club, which is a non-profit. “I’m so proud of the diverse group of volunteers we have,” said Jody James, the Club’s site manager who had just come out of the kitchen, helping to serve lunch. “We have master gardeners, artists, amateur artists, craftspeople — all kinds of people come together to create the show,” she said. Each day, 100-150 people are served “Abuela’s Ensalada de Pollo” at lunch.
If the show itself was a bit old-fashioned, filled with nostalgia, the works of art from students of Oak Grove art teacher Nicola Neidermaier were, by contrast, fresh and vibrant. These works lived up to the show’s theme: “Growing Our Future.”
Here are some examples of the student works:
Some students had created small sculptures for Día de los Muertos.
Another group of students created paintings of cars inspired by Richard Scary’s books, which feature whimsical food-based vehicles.
Students from Oak Grove visited the show on Friday on a field trip. We heard that the students each bring a few quarters to buy some knick-knacks to take home. Proceeds from the show also help support art programs at Oak Grove School.
Thank you for hosting the candidates' forum. Looks like a great turnout! Hopefully, some of the candidates will come to Tuesday's Council meeting and hear about the development project on Valentine's at the former LDS site.