The official list of candidates set to appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot was finalized Thursday by the county Department of Elections.
Among the seats up for grabs will be four positions on the Santa Barbara County Board of Education, including incumbents Peter MacDougal, Richard Fulton, Roberta Heter, and Weldon Howell who will be seeking to retain their seats.
Dr. MacDougal is running against Cage J. Englander, Dr. Fulton is running against Bruce Porter, and Mr. Howell against Lou Segal. Mrs. Heter is facing two challengers in the race for her position: Michelle De Werd and Jim Richardson.
The Santa Barbara Community College District Board of Trustees will have three races in the election. Incumbent board president Robert K. Miller will be challenged by Ronald J. Liechti, while Area 3 trustee Veronica Gallardo will defend her seat against Erin J. Guerena.
Anna Everett and Celeste Barber will be competing for the Area 4 trustee position soon to be vacated by Craig Nielsen. The trustees are elected to four-year terms.
Though there are three races for the Allan Hancock Joint Community College District Board of Trustees, only two are competitive. Incumbent Area 4 trustee Jeffery Hall will defend his position against challenger Robert Mercado. Suzanne Levy will compete with Keri Lynn Common for the Area 2 trustee position.
Incumbent Area 1 trustee Hilda Zacarias is unopposed.
Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education has eight candidates running for positions, including three incumbents.
Current board member Wendy Sims-Moten, current board vice president Jacqueline Reid and board president Laura Capps will look to retain their seats. They will be facing challengers Monie Dewit, Brian Campbell, Sebastian Antonio Fernandez-Falcon, Virginia Alvarez and Elrawd John MacLearn.
Goleta Union School District Board of Trustees Sholeh Jahangir, whose term on the board comes to an end in November, is running to remain on the board against five other candidates: Vicki Ben-Yaacov; Caroline Abate; Patricia “Max” Rorty; Devany Belcher; and Greg S. Hammel. According to the Goleta Union School District website, board vice president Susan Epstein’s term ends in November, leaving her seat vacant and competitive.
Five candidates are running for the Area 1 trustee position on the Carpinteria Unified School District Board of Trustees, currently occupied by Rogelio Delgado. Mr. Delgado is running to defend his seat against four challengers: Jaime Diamond; Aaron Smith; Jeff Weinbender; and Craig Cook.
The Lompoc Unified School District Board of Education has seven candidates running in November, with incumbent board member Bill Health defending his position. The other six candidates in the race are: Alexander Murkison; Janet Blevins; Martin Casey; Tom Blanco; Gary Cox; and Kathi Froemming.
Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District Board of Education members Eileen Preston and Christine Burtness’ terms expire on Dec. 11 of this year and neither are running for re-election. Competing for the seats will be: Janine Robitaille-Filippin; Stephen Luke; Jose Juan Ibarra; Peter Wright; Calisse M. Courtney; and Lucy Padilla.
Two incumbent members of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board of Education, Jack C. Garvin and Amy Lopez, will defend their seats against challengers Angie Marie Bolden, Jennifer Melena, Gabriel Amaro Morales, and David E. Baskett.
Buellton Union School District Board of Education incumbent Andrew Morgan is running for re-election in November, with Allison Schwartz, Sandra Enos Jordan, and Christy Nordgren also in the race.
School district boards with two candidates running for positions in November include the Montecito Union School District, with Jacqueline Duran and Jessica Smith running, Orcutt Union School District, with incumbents Liz Phillips and Lisa Morinini running again for their current positions, and the Solvang School District, with incumbent president John R. Winckler and Andreas Pyper running.
According to the Solvang School District website, Mr. Winckler is one of three board members whose term will expire come December, the other two being Susie Durbiano and Dennis Keever. Ms. Durbiano will run against Bradley Charles Hollister.
Three local school districts, Los Olivos, Solvang, and Vista Del Mar Union, will have both short- and long-term positions on the ballot in November.
Los Olivos School District board member Ness Hamaoui will be running for re-election unopposed, while appointed incumbents Leanna Riccitelli Drammer and Robert R. Walmsley will be running in a short-term race.
Vista Del Mar Union School District Board of Trustees president Nicole Jones will be running for re-election come November, as will incumbent trustee Ryan Harrington. Kit Boise-Cossart will run for a short-term seat.
Of the five members on the Montecito Fire Protection District’s board of directors, four will see their terms expire in December. Incumbents Sylvia Easton and Michael N. Lee will be running for re-election in a field that includes Robert Kemp and John Abraham Powell. Appointed incumbent board member Judith Ishkanian sees her term expire in December and will be running a short-term race for re-election. She is unopposed.
Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District Board of Directors member Suzy Cawthon is running for re-election in a race that includes Randy McGlade. Jena Jenkins is running a short term race.
email: jgrega@newspress.com
