Candidates Throw Their Hats in the Ring

Last week was the candidate filing period deadline for many local elections, including the Montecito Fire Protection District and Montecito Water District boards of directors. This week marks the deadline period for both public schools in Montecito (Cold Spring School and Montecito Union), as well as for the Montecito Sanitary District board.

At Montecito Fire Protection District, four seats are up for grabs in November, including three 4-year terms and one 2-year term. The seats of board president Sylvia Easton, vice president Michael Lee, secretary Judy Ishkanian, and board member Abe Powell are all up for reelection; board member Peter van Duinwyk’s term of office is until 2022. Incumbents Easton, Lee, and Powell, as well as new candidate and current Montecito Association board member Robert Kemp are vying for the three seats for 4-year terms. Incumbent Ishkanian, as well as current Montecito Planning Commissioner Susan Keller, are vying for the 2-year seat.

At Montecito Water District, incumbents Tobe Plough and Floyd Wicks did not face any challengers; both will be reelected to the Board of Directors.

As of press time, candidates for the Montecito Union School Board include Jacqueline Duran, Jessica Smith, and Christina Singhass, who are vying for the two seats left by outgoing board members Kate Murphy and Marilyn Bachman. At Cold Spring School, the seats held by Leslie Leifer Kneafsey and Greggory Peterson are up for grabs; Gabrielle Haas, Jordan Quivey, and Trevor Pattison are running for election.

At Montecito Sanitary District, four candidates have filed to run for three available seats: Don Eversoll, Edwin Martin Jr., Dorinne Lee Johnson, and Gar Fuller. The three seats are being vacated by Tom Bollay, Jeff Kerns, and Thomas Kern, none of whom have filed to run again, as of press time. 

We’ll have much more on all the candidates as the November 3 election approaches.