Newcomer vies for position on Sebastopol City Council

Vaughn Higginbotham’s last brush with politics was in high school, when he wanted to run for student body office but missed the deadline.

It was about five years ago, in his final year at Analy High School. Now he’s seeking election to the Sebastopol City Council.

Higginbotham, 22, is the lone challenger of three incumbents - Una Glass, Sarah Glade Gurney and Patrick Slayter, currently the mayor. They’re seasoned professionals and public service veterans, and, in Higginbotham’s view, all are doing just fine.

But in a campaign that has stirred the imagination of some voters, Higginbotham said the five-member council could use some youthful blood, even if it comes without experience. Although, he said, he has followed the council for the last four years and attends many of its meetings.

“I just feel that I can bring a different perspective to the council that may not be there,” he said. “I’m going to be upfront and say I’m not politically savvy and all that, and I am young. But I’m enthusiastic, empathetic and I have no political ties to affect how I vote on certain issues. I’m going to listen to both sides and draw my own conclusions.”

A volunteer firefighter for the town of Bodega, Higginbotham studies videography and firefighting part time at Santa Rosa Junior College. He also has run his own electronics repair business for several years, in addition to working as a cashier at Community Market. A fifth-generation Sebastopol resident, he said he’s eager to serve his community.

But his candidacy has opened debate over the value of having a strong grasp on the inner workings of government, land use issues, budgeting and provision of public services to a constituency of nearly ?7,700 people and the thousands of others who conduct business in Sebastopol.

Many think he should try a stint on the city Planning Commission or another advisory board before seeking a council post. They support the council members seeking re-election.

“I love what they stand for,” said Craig Litwin, a longtime political consultant and former councilman who first sought election at the age of 22, losing by 120 votes. “They’ve done great work for affordable housing, green building, solar panels and supporting public safety.”

Former councilman Robert Jacob also supports the incumbents.

He had been on the Planning Commission and served in a variety of other civic organizations, in addition to running two cannabis dispensaries with 49 employees, when he was elected in 2012.

“It still took me a year to get up to speed,” he said.

Though he recently moved to Santa Rosa, Jacob said he supports his former colleagues, especially given the “fragile” housing situation, the ongoing work of building economic vitality and integrating The Barlow marketplace with the downtown.

Jacob said three key city employees - the former city engineering director, planning director and public works director - retired in the past three years, each of whom served for decades.

“We’ve lost that institutional knowledge of our top staff, which makes it important that we carry that institutional knowledge through the council,” Jacob said.

In the other camp is former Councilman John Eder, who said, “Being on the City Council is not rocket science. You can learn it as you go.

“I never was on a planning commission. I never was on a design committee. I just came off the streets like Vaughn would be coming off the streets, like (current Councilman) Michael Carnacchi came off the street,” he said.

Eder said he’s eager to see newcomers pursue election to a body where every current member is over 50, with Slayter, 52, tied for youngest with Carnacchi. Glass and Gurney are 65.

“It would be good for the council to have a change of the people that have been there for so long,” said avid council watcher John Necker. “I’m willing to take a risk that this fellow may be less than perfect to see something like that happen.”

Gurney, the longest serving council member, with 14 years under her belt, is part of a progressive vanguard that has earned high marks for its work toward environmental sustainability, affordable housing and creating a pedestrian-friendly downtown, among other issues. She also has served as chairwoman of the Sonoma County Transportation and Regional Climate Protection authorities.

As a longtime attorney and mediator, she has built consensus on the council. She has long been popular with voters after walking door to door during every election cycle, this year “finding voters pretty content with ?their government.”

Slayter, a solo-practice architect, said his exposure to planning and land use has been especially useful during the council’s recent overhaul of the city’s general plan and zoning ordinance, as well as efforts to reduce traffic impacts and improve safety.

Along with Glass, he has devoted much of the past year to the council’s housing subcommittee, which has introduced innovative solutions for creating new housing units.

He said the existing council has “a real track record of real financial responsibility,” including planning for future pension liability.

All three incumbents have earned endorsements from Sonoma County Conservation Action, the North Bay Labor Council and the Sonoma County Democratic Party. Gurney and Slater also are endorsed by Sonoma County Alliance.

Glass, former executive director of Coastwalk California and longtime owner of an accounting software company she started with her late husband, former Councilman Michael Kyes, has spent decades working in government, business and the nonprofit world - experience she believes is vital for anyone wanting to serve on the council.

The current membership exhibits “a lot of team work,” she said. “We don’t always agree with each other, but overall I think we work well together, and I think we’ve accomplished a lot in the past few years.”

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.