Gina Cuclis, a Boyes Hot Springs resident and communications consultant who has been active in Sonoma Valley political issues, has formally declared her candidacy for Sonoma County's First District supervisorial seat.
She made the announcement Monday through Twitter and the launch of her candidate website, www.ginaforsupervisor.com.
Cuclis, 52, served on the City of Sonoma's Planning Commission from 1997 to 2006, and on a Sonoma Valley Health Care District planning committee from 2006 to 2009. She cited her experience with land use, environmental and community issues as strengths that distinguish her campaign for county office.
"I'm running for Sonoma County supervisor because the people of the First District deserve an inclusive leader who will take the time to listen," Cuclis said in a statement posted to her website.
A regular Board of Supervisors watcher, Cuclis has quietly questioned First District incumbent Valerie Brown's work with state and national government associations, saying they have taken her away from county business.
Through her Twitter account, Cuclis has called attention to several of Brown's recent board absences. The district, which encompasses Sonoma and Sonoma Valley, needs someone who is more "engaged," Cuclis said in a brief interview Tuesday.
Brown, a former state assemblywoman and Sonoma mayor who was appointed to the First District seat in 2002 and has twice been reelected, has said she will decide on her political future in August. All of her paperwork is current for the June 2012 election.
Other challengers include Mark Bramfitt, an energy consultant and board member on the Valley of the Moon Water District and Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission, and Will Pier, an ecologist.
Bramfitt said he intends to make a formal announcement later this summer. Pier, who ran for the seat in 2008, has yet to file his election paperwork, according to a county elections official.
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