Healdsburg council race includes five newcomers, one incumbent for three seats

In a year already marked by considerable change, Healdsburg voters are set to remake their City Council, with three of five seats up for grabs in the November election.

Five newcomers and one incumbent who is finishing his first term are vying to guide the city through a historic financial challenge while wrestling with its dual identity as a pricey Wine Country getaway with strong agricultural roots.

The dynamics of the election ensure at least two new faces will join the council in the city of 12,000 people, which already was transformed with the resignation of its mayor earlier this year and the subsequent appointment of its first council member of color in decades.

The current City Council recently appointed a new city manager in Jeff Kay, the former city manager of San Leandro. In addition to committing to work to stabilize Healdsburg’s finances, he said he plans to prioritize outreach to the 30% of city residents who are Latino and address issues of racial inequity he starts in January.

Prospective council members will begin their four-year terms having to face down significant economic challenges from the coronavirus pandemic. Several local businesses have closed permanently and the five-member council will be tasked with continuing to monitor the city’s downsized budget while also trying to reduce its reliance on tourism.

Charlie Duffy, 69, a retired higher-education administrator and 19-year resident, says he’s the right choice to help Healdsburg navigate ongoing budget shortfalls while maintaining critical services. If elected, he also said he would work to increase City Hall’s transparency and engagement with the public, including with the community’s Latino population.

“The current council tends to kick things down the road. I want to work for the people of Healdsburg to create a more dynamic, more welcoming, more prosperous community,” Duffy said. “A lot of people think government should be run like a business. But a government isn’t a business and that’s not what government is about. I really think we could be doing a better job if we adopt that sort of ethos, and allocate resources for the improvement of society as a whole.”

David Jones, 46, a local investment adviser and late entry into the council race, said his more than 20 years working in finance have prepared him well for a smooth entry into governance. His priorities besides managing the city’s budget include reducing the chances of a wildfire at Fitch Mountain Park and Open Space Preserve with fuel-reduction work and increasing resident access to Healdsburg’s green spaces and the Russian River for leisure and recreation.

“I don’t see any quick fixes on COVID-19, so we need to buckle down and work through it. But I’m not just a finance and accounting nerd, I get along with people,” said Jones, a married father of two school-age daughters. “My top goals here are to bring more services to the community and in doing so help enjoy our lifestyle. We live in an ecological wonderland with the mountain and the river, and we need to do more to take advantage of community resources to preserve it.”

First-term Councilman David Hagele, who served as mayor in 2019, is the only incumbent seeking to remain on the council. Councilman Shaun McCaffery, the current vice mayor and the longest-serving council member, and Councilman Joe Naujokas each announced in August they would not run for another term.

That follows a turbulent summer that saw Mayor Leah Gold resign in the face of community blowback over her response to calls for police reforms connected to the local Black Lives Matter movement. Her resignation led to the appointment of business owner Ozzy Jimenez to finish the 2½ years left on her term, and Councilwoman Evelyn Mitchell being named mayor.

Jimenez, 33, is the first person of color to serve on the Healdsburg City Council in almost three decades, and only the third in the city’s 153-year history. Skylaer Palacios, 25, who works as a youth counselor at a foster care nonprofit in Sebastopol, hopes to become the fourth.

The former Miss Sonoma County 2014 is of Latino, Black and Indigenous descent, and said her upbringing in Healdsburg, as well as experiences in the local public school system, give her a leg up on how to guide the city forward. Palacios attended Santa Rosa Junior College and graduated from Sonoma State University with a focus on performing arts. She has the backing of McCaffery and Jimenez, plus Supervisors Susan Gorin and Lynda Hopkins, and several other elected officials across the county.

“I really just want to bring a focus of uplifting families in the community. I feel like there’s been a mass exodus of families, so … sewing back the fabric of the community,” said Palacios, who is also considering joining the U.S. Army Reserve. “Because it has changed a bit, and is not as tightknit, partially due to COVID, but before that as well.”

She has centered her campaign platform around providing more affordable housing to retain residents struggling to stay in Healdsburg, and offer ownership options to workers who wish to live in town.

Similarly, Hagele, 51, a commercial real estate mortgage broker, said the city needs to prioritize making sure housing is attainable for a broad spectrum of incomes. He highlighted his work last year with two housing nonprofits that allowed the city to acquire and renovate three below-market rate apartment complexes to keep existing low-income residents living there housed.

“My continued focus is going to be on things that can have an immediate impact while still having those discussions about bigger, long-term issues. A perfect example is the housing,” Hagele said. “I’m pretty proud of my record. Sure, I’ve stubbed my toe from time to time, but that’s all part of the learning experience and where we got today and looking at the next four years. Going into a second term with everything we’ve been through, my context for items to reference keeps growing and growing and growing.”

The married father of two is endorsed by each of his four council colleagues, the five-member Board of Supervisors and state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, among others.

Also supported by several of the same who’s who of Sonoma County is Ariel Kelley, 38, an attorney with a background in land-use issues who has served for three years as a county planning commissioner appointed by Supervisor James Gore. She counts Jimenez, McGuire and Hopkins, along with Gore, among her backers.

Kelley, a co-founder of Latino-focused nonprofit Corazón Healdsburg and who last month stepped away as its chief executive officer, has been a frequent attendee at City Council meetings during her seven years of living in Healdsburg. With grant funding, the married mother of two young kids also launched the Kinder2College tuition savings program, helping families across northern Sonoma County make college a possibility for their children.

“My desire to run for office and being involved really comes from a genuine love and care for Healdsburg and this community. It’s a really special place,” Kelley said. “I feel like we’re doing a lot of things well, but there are still things we struggle with, and I have an ability to help us push through to get to solutions and to a more proactive way of governing as opposed to reactive. Those are skills I bring to the table and am happy to put out there to support our community.”

Likewise, Doralice Handal, 47, a trained chef and wine retailer, said her past attendance at City Hall and involvement as a citizen led her to enter the council race. Along with Duffy, Handal is endorsed by Sonoma County Homeless Action, and said she would make addressing the community’s rising homelessness and issues related to the city’s vulnerable populations her main focuses.

Living with a rare bone disease, Handal is a member of the disabled community and also seeks to improve access across the city for those unable to get around on outdated or insufficient infrastructure. She’s also a fluent Spanish speaker from time spent growing up in Ecuador and El Salvador and said she can bridge the gap with many of the city’s underrepresented communities, including from her experience as a board member with local nonprofit Reach for Home.

“I can find a way to communicate with practically anybody, because I’m intuitive and have empathy, I’m patient and I’ll listen. I know what it’s like to be shut out or ignored or not understood,” Handal said. “I want people to feel comfortable reaching out and asking me a question. I might not have the answer you want, but I’m there and I’ll figure it out. I won’t leave you in the lurch.”

Healdsburg voters this November will also decide on Measure T, an early sales tax renewal that would extend permanently a current half-cent tax toward the city’s general fund for public safety, infrastructure and economic development. The measure requires a simple majority to pass, and each candidate supports the renewal.

Also on the ballot is Measure BB, which would sell Healdsburg District Hospital to an affiliate of Providence St. Joseph Health and maintain a local parcel tax to ensure emergency room services in the city for at least 20 years. All but Jones said they support the measure, with the investment adviser suggesting several nearby hospitals already provide better care and the valuable land could be better used by the city for other purposes.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin Fixler at 707-521-5336 or kevin.fixler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @kfixler.