Three longtime Healdsburg residents battle for two seats on City Council

Three longtime Healdsburg residents are vying for two seats on the City Council, which is faced with pressing challenges that include a shortage of workforce housing, outdated ?infrastructure and a forceful call to balance the needs of residents with the town’s thriving tourist economy.

The three candidates, all registered Democrats, include incumbent Leah Gold, 63; winemaker and former finance consultant Tim Meinken, 65, who is making his fourth bid for a council seat; and financial consultant Evelyn Mitchell, 68, a political newcomer.

Gold, who recently retired from her online instructional training company, is running to retain a seat she won in a special election in June 2017 to fill an 18-month vacancy on the council created by the unexpected resignation of longtime Councilman Eric Ziedrich.

Gold previously served on the council from 2000 to 2004, serving as mayor in 2003 before stepping away to focus on her family and her career. If re-elected, she said she would support ?additional curbs on hotel development and attempts to address the increasing number of second homes in the community, a popular Wine Country tourist destination.

“It’s not an anti-tourism point of view at all,” said Gold, who works part time as a fill-in innkeeper. “Tourism is a wonderful industry to have, and there are benefits from having a lot of visitors that residents get to enjoy. I’m happy to have tourism, I just don’t want to overbuild. That’s the wrong way to go.”

The city saw a 42 percent rise in new hotel rooms in the past year. Another 130 rooms are set to come online with the planned completion of the Montage Healdsburg luxury guesthouse in 2020. Two other large hotel projects have already been proposed, leading a majority of the council in August to direct city staff to move toward limiting more rooms in the downtown core.

The second seat up for grabs was opened up by the departure of one-term Councilwoman Brigette Mansell, who served as mayor this year. She opted not to seek re-election because of other professional commitments.

Both Meinken and Mitchell back at least a moratorium on hotel development citywide. All three candidates support Measure P, the Healdsburg ballot measure that would raise the existing annual cap on new home development in the city.

All acknowledge that affordable housing is the central issue for Healdsburg moving forward.

“I don’t think we disagree on what the issues are, and it’s more about how we approach solving those issues,” said Mitchell, who is endorsed by both the North Bay Association of Realtors and North Coast Builders Exchange. “I really want to dig in and look at specific (housing) projects and get them done. I want to take one and do it, and then move onto the next.”

Mitchell cited her long experience in the business world and accounting expertise, a background that she said qualifies her to help govern the city, which she likened to a company with a $75 million annual budget. Her years on the board of the Humane Society of Sonoma County, first as treasurer and then as president spearheading the opening of the animal shelter in Healdsburg, demonstrate a track record for leading an organization, she said.

“It’s all about vision and mission,” she said. “For the city, I see that all combining well together … and what’s best for our citizens and working toward that, keeping our eye on the ball all the time. It may not always be easy, with different opinions and people with different backgrounds and different goals, trying to reach consensus.”

Meinken, a regular at City Council meetings, helped spur a review of Healdsburg’s long-term needs by the American Institute of Architects. The study results are due later this year and he hopes it leads to addressing issues through a master plan process rather than the current piecemeal system.

“What we need is a comprehensive strategy,” said Meinken, who spent almost 25 years in retirement and benefits consulting. “We need to address the general plan right now. The council needs to tell the city manager it’s a priority now, not 1½ to 2 years from now.”

He said he would support consideration of a housing bond similar to what’s now on the ballot in Santa Rosa. He also would want to explore the establishment of a city housing trust to compete for federal matching funds and use city-owned property to build on. For more community-focused neighborhoods, Meinken favors closely incorporating the arts and the Russian River, and finding ways to expedite the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit’s arrival in town, along with transit-friendly development near the station.

“I’m viewing this as serving residents first,” Meinken said. “I’m council-ready, understand the issues and am ready to hit the ground running.”

Meinken endorsed Gold’s candidacy in September. After a candidate forum days earlier, Gold emailed supporters and said that Meinken had impressed her with his positions and depth of knowledge. She encouraged her supporters to cast their second vote for him.

Gold clarified in an interview that her intent was to remain neutral about the other candidates, for the sake of cultivating a good working relationship with whoever wins should she be re-elected. Gold has the support of her four current council members, while Vice Mayor David Hagele and Councilman Shaun McCaffery have also endorsed Mitchell.

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