Santa Rosa City Council’s first district elections draw six candidates

The field of candidates is set for Santa Rosa’s first election of City Council members from districts, and a couple of the upcoming contests could turn into lively races.

Six candidates, including three political newcomers, two incumbents and a former councilman, are seeking council seats in the Nov. 6 election.

But instead of a single citywide scrum where voters pick the three candidates they like best and top three vote-getters are elected, this year the city will hold three separate council races for seats representing different portions of the city.

The second half of the transition to a district-based council, which was done under threat of a voting rights lawsuit, will take place in 2020, when elections to represent the other four new districts will be held.

The most competitive race this fall is shaping up to be in District 4, where three newcomers - all women - filed campaign paperwork by the Aug. 10 deadline.

The district, which covers central and north Santa Rosa, including the fire-scarred Fountaingrove neighborhood, came up for grabs when Mayor Chris Coursey, who lives on North Street, announced in July he would not seek the seat.

One candidate for the seat is Victoria Fleming. The 37-year-old social worker lives in the Montecito Heights area of the city. She is a member of the city’s Community Advisory Board and Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women.

Also running is Dorothy Beattie, 63, a financial management consultant and landlord who has been an outspoken opponent of rent control. She lives in the district that includes McDonald Avenue.

The third is Mary Watts, 30, deputy director of the social justice nonprofit Sonoma Action Partnership. Watts is a former member of the Board of Public Utilities, former president of the Wine Country Young Democrats and lives in the Junior College neighborhood.

None of the three has ever run for public office in Santa Rosa.

District 2, which covers the southeast area of Santa Rosa, including Bennett Valley, Doyle Park and Kawana Springs, is also likely to be a competitive race.

Councilman John Sawyer, seeking his fourth term, will face off against Lee Pierce, who served on the council with Sawyer from 2004 to 2008.

At that time, their elections were hailed as evidence of increasing diversity on the City Council, Sawyer being the first openly gay man elected to the post and Pierce being the first black man.

But Sawyer, 63, easily won re-election in 2008 while Pierce, 71, faltered, coming in fifth. Pierce, a former gemstone salesman turned management consultant and lobbyist, lost again in 2014. He lives near the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. Sawyer lives in Bennett Valley.

The third seat up this fall and least dramatic race is District 6, covering the historically underrepresented northwest section of the city.

First-term Councilman Tom Schwedhelm, 58, is running unopposed for the seat. The former Santa Rosa police chief lives in Coffey Park and is considered by some to be a likely pick for mayor when the seven-member council selects one of their ranks to serve in the two-year role.

Campaign signs should start going up around the city after Labor Day, and the first day to vote by mail is Oct. 8.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 707-521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.