Candidates are lining up to vie for three seats on the Windsor Town Council, in contrast to the past two elections, which drew no challengers for the incumbents.
Interest in serving on the council comes as stalled development projects are picking up steam and Windsor launches a revision of its general plan, the blueprint for how it will grow over the next 20 years.
With three seats up for grabs and incumbent Robin Goble confirming she will not seek a third term, several residents have taken out papers signaling their intent to run in the November election.
They include Windsor Planning Commission Chairman Dominic Foppoli, who ran unsuccessfully for the council eight years ago; spa and tanning salon owner Kimberley Colvig; and energy consultant Frank Di Massa.
Planning commissioner and water supply adviser Mark Millan said he is also considering running.
"There hasn't been much development the last six years. There haven't been many projects," said Councilwoman Deb Fudge, but with the improved economy "now there's something they can sink their teeth into."
And with the new general plan in the works, she said, "people running are able to put their own stamp on what Windsor becomes … and that's exciting."
Longtime council members Sam Salmon and Steve Allen are the other two incumbents facing re-election.
Both cited the general plan revision as looming large on Windsor's horizon and one of the elements in deciding whether to run for re-election.
Salmon, a semi-retired, disability claims attorney, indicated he will go for a record sixth term. "My plan now is to run," he said this week, adding that he wants to be involved with the general plan update, which is expected to take two years, beginning with a series of community workshops and stakeholder meetings.
"I am intrigued and excited about the general plan process," he said. "I can ask people what they want to see in Windsor. I can say what I want to see in Windsor. And may the twains meet."
Allen, a civil engineer with the city of Santa Rosa, said he hasn't decided whether to seek a fifth, four-year term on the Windsor council.
"I haven't made a final decision yet. I'm still looking at it pretty closely," he said.
Candidates have until Aug. 13 to file.
Fudge, who has been on the council since 1996, is running for north county supervisor against former Obama administration official James Gore, whom she edged slightly in the June primary. If she is elected supervisor in November, that would leave another vacancy on the Windsor Town Council and the likelihood council members would appoint someone to fill the remaining two years of her term.
Fudge said Town Council members in the next few years will have a chance to "take Windsor into early middle age" and reframe the 22-year-old town's direction. "Windsor is growing up. People are stepping forward," she said.
Foppoli, 32, said he decided to throw his hat in the ring after Goble confirmed she was stepping down after eight years on the council.
"I feel there's a need for the council to have a lot of new blood," Goble said. "It's a changing community and it's good to have new voices."
Foppoli, who has a small craft brewery and tasting room on the Town Green, is also part owner of several wineries, including Christopher Creek.
He said he's learned a lot since he ran for Town Council in 2006. "I've always been driven and motivated to be involved with my town," he said.
One of his priorities is to see a boutique hotel built on an empty parcel next to the Town Green, which he said would be tremendously beneficial to the town and surrounding businesses.
A consultant earlier this year said such a boutique hotel would require a subsidy from the town, but Foppoli believes the project would be more feasible as the economy improves.
Di Massa, 58, is a new face in Windsor politics, although he has lived in town for 18 years.
He began his career as an entry level manager with PG&E, progressing to become manager of municipal energy programs for the City of San Francisco. He later worked as a senior research scientist and engineer at Pacific Northwest National Lab before becoming an electric utilities consultant for cities, the military and private sector.
"My water and energy experience will be really useful as I become a member of that five-person team," he said of the Town Council.
Colvig, 38, who owns Ciao Bella salon in Larkfield, is also a newcomer to politics. A cancer survivor and the mother of six children, she is vice president of a personal care product company owned by Bed Bath and Beyond. She said she works with hotels, casinos and other large companies to create their personal care products.
Colvig wants to help grow small businesses as well as help Windsor in other ways. "I want more random acts of kindness and more community involvement," she said.
You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at 521-5214 or clark.mason@pressdemocrat.com.
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