# Cloverdale City Council Compare records and positions simply between Steve Kawa, Kimberly Kern, Will Carter, and 6 more for Cloverdale City Council at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person would hold one of three at-large seats on Cloverdale's five-member City Council. The term is four years. Members vote on the budget, land use, zoning, and oversight of city staff. Cloverdale is a Sonoma County city in the Russian River area, with 8,996 people. It is a general-law, council-manager city, run day-to-day by a professional city manager. The Council picks a Mayor and Vice Mayor from its own members. No Cloverdale Mayor race is on this ballot. - Jurisdiction: City of Cloverdale - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Seats: 3 - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/cloverdale-council - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: September 1, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 87 out of 100 (Strong), across 13 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Steve Kawa** — Small Business Owner - **Kimberly Kern** — Public School Superintendent - **Will Carter** — Cloverdale Business Owner - **Chris Parker** — Retired Police Chief - **Jenn Neylon** — Chief Business Officer - **Colleen Shields** — Massage Therapist/Bookkeeper - **Kelly Spagnola** — Community Volunteer - **Marjorie A Morgenstern** — Incumbent - **Andrés Marquez** — Appointed Incumbent · Incumbent A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot. Nine candidates are running for three at-large seats on Cloverdale's City Council. Andrés Marquez is the appointed incumbent. Marjorie A Morgenstern is the elected incumbent. They face seven challengers. They are Chris Parker, Will Carter, Steve Kawa, Jenn Neylon, Kimberly Kern, Kelly Spagnola, and Colleen Shields. Vote for up to three. There is no primary. Council seats carry 4-year terms. Winners join two seats not up this cycle -- Vice Mayor Todd Lands and Councilmember Mark Laskey, whose terms don't expire until 2028 -- to complete Cloverdale's five-member City Council: the city budget, land use and zoning, and oversight of city staff for this Russian River-area Sonoma County city of 8,996 residents (2020 Census). Cloverdale is a general-law, council-manager city -- a professional city manager runs day-to-day operations while the elected Council sets policy -- and the Council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor and another as Vice Mayor each year, not separately elected offices. Sitting Mayor Brian Wheeler did not file to keep his own Council seat this cycle, so at least one of the three winners will be a first-time Cloverdale councilmember regardless of the outcome. This cycle's ballot also called for a City Treasurer seat, but zero candidates filed for it -- the county's own roster and the city's own resolution both confirm the position is vacant with no name to print, so no Treasurer contest appears on this ballot. With two incumbents (one appointed, one elected) and seven challengers competing for three seats, the practical choice is which of the seven newcomers should join the board alongside -- or in place of -- the sitting members. Marquez is the only candidate to cite specific, checkable Council accomplishments in their own statement; Morgenstern, the longer-serving incumbent, filed no fresh statement this cycle, so Morgenstern's 2026 platform beyond their "Incumbent" ballot designation is not independently confirmed by this pass. Among the challengers, professional backgrounds range from public safety and school administration to small business and civic-club leadership; none has previously held a Cloverdale elected office. This dataset found no candidate forum coverage, comparative news profile, or independent evaluation of the field beyond the candidates' own filed statements and campaign materials -- consistent with the limited local-news footprint typical of a city this size. ## Andrés Marquez Andrés Marquez is the Council's appointed incumbent. They were seated in February 2025. They are now seeking their first full 4-year term by election. Their filed ballot designation is "Appointed Incumbent." They reached the seat by Council vote, not by winning an election. This is their first time facing voters for it. They ran unsuccessfully for a different Council seat in 2024. Their statement lists specific things they have done since their appointment. They cite $10,000 secured for the local Food Pantry. They cite $75,000 coordinated to rehabilitate the Grange. They list an updated City Code of Conduct developed with staff and neighboring city managers. They name the "Home of the Eagles" community mural at Washington Gym. They name the city's first guided hike at Soda Springs. They cite moving student outdoor-education programming into city open space. They also cite Council authorization for a regional water resiliency partnership. **Strengths:** Marquez is the only candidate in the field to list specific Council-era accomplishments in their own words. That gives voters concrete claims to check. **Trade-offs:** They were appointed, not elected. So this is their first time facing voters for this seat. No independent reporting was found to verify the figures their statement cites. **Keep in mind:** They ran for a Cloverdale Council seat in 2024 and lost. About four months later they were appointed to a different vacancy. Morgenstern reached their seat by direct election instead. ## Marjorie A Morgenstern Marjorie A Morgenstern is the Council's elected incumbent. They were first elected in 2022 and are seeking another term. Their filed ballot designation is simply "Incumbent." They did not file a 2026 Statement of Qualification. So no fresh first-person statement of their current platform is in this cycle's ballot materials. Their 2022 statement is their most recent on file. It described goals of transparent and inclusive city government. It also named stronger trust between the police department and the public, help for the city's unsheltered population, and urgent care services for Cloverdale. That statement is background on the campaign that won them the seat. It is not a claim about what they are running on in 2026. **Strengths:** The longest currently-serving record in this field of nine candidates. Voters can review a full term of Morgenstern's Council votes and public meetings directly. **Trade-offs:** Morgenstern filed no 2026 statement. So it is not confirmed whether their 2022 priorities still stand. Those were police-community trust, unsheltered services, and urgent care. **Keep in mind:** Not filing a statement is a permitted, candidate-paid choice under Elections Code 13307. It is not a sign about their candidacy. But it means voters go on their record this cycle, not fresh rhetoric. ## Chris Parker Chris Parker is a retired police chief and a challenger. His filed ballot designation is "Retired Police Chief." He did not file a 2026 Statement of Qualification. His own campaign site states more than 28 years of leadership in public service. It also states over 22 years living in Cloverdale, and two children who attended the city's public schools. It lists involvement with Reach for Home, La Familia Sana, the Rotary Club, Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, and the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce. His stated priorities are public safety, fiscal management, and support for local businesses. He also names infrastructure investment and thoughtful growth that protects the city's small-town character. His site does not name the department he led or when he served. **Strengths:** Law-enforcement leadership experience that bears directly on public-safety questions. He also has over two decades of Cloverdale residency and a broad slate of local civic-group involvement. **Trade-offs:** He filed no statement. So voters using the printed county Voter Guide will not see one unless they find his campaign site. That site does not name his former department or rank either. **Keep in mind:** His campaign material stresses broad, widely-shared themes. Those are safety, fiscal responsibility, and growth. It does not offer specific proposals to weigh against a record. ## Will Carter Will Carter is a local IT-service business owner and a challenger. At 31, they are the youngest candidate in the field. Their filed ballot designation is "Cloverdale Business Owner." Their statement says their family moved to Cloverdale nearly 30 years ago. They have since moved back with their wife to make the city their home. There they run their business, volunteer, and plan to raise their own family. They now serve as President of the Cloverdale Kiwanis Club, after earlier involvement with Key Club and Toastmasters. They state priorities of safe infrastructure, "rational growth," and an open dialogue with residents. **Strengths:** Deep, multi-generational family roots in Cloverdale. Carter now leads a local service club as Kiwanis Club President. As a small-business owner they have a stake in the city's economy. **Trade-offs:** They state no prior appointed or elected city role. Their priorities are broad ideals like "rational growth" and "open dialog." They are not specific positions to compare against others. **Keep in mind:** At 31, Carter is markedly younger than the rest of the field. That could shape how directly they represent a different generation of residents. Their statement itself does not address the point. ## Steve Kawa Steve Kawa is a challenger and owner of Steve Kawa Strategic Advising. Their filed ballot designation is "Small Business Owner." Their statement says their family has been part of the Cloverdale community for 19 years. They now serve on the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce Board. They describe more than 25 years working in California state and local government. That includes service in three separate San Francisco mayoral administrations. They were Chief of Staff to two San Francisco mayors. They hold a law degree from Suffolk University. Their stated priorities are public safety, fiscal responsibility, and keeping Cloverdale "safe, solvent, and successful." **Strengths:** The most senior government-operations experience in the field by a wide margin. Kawa spent decades inside big-city government, up to a chief-of-staff level. They also hold a law degree. **Trade-offs:** Their career and senior roles were built in San Francisco city government, not Cloverdale. No prior Cloverdale civic-board role was found. Their current Chamber board seat is the only one. **Keep in mind:** Their 19 years of Cloverdale residency is on the shorter end in this field. Parker, Carter, and Shields each cite 22 to 30 years. Weigh that against Kawa's outside governing experience. ## Jenn Neylon Jenn Neylon is a challenger and Chief Operations Officer and Chief Business Officer for a Sonoma County school. Their filed ballot designation is "Chief Business Officer." Their statement describes 28 years of leadership experience across public, private, non-profit, and educational settings. They now oversee a rural 20-acre school campus. That work covers facilities, utilities, solar, HVAC, fire-suppression systems, and a $4 million annual budget. They also serve on the board of Reinsurance Captive for Stable Schools, or ReCSS. It is an insurance entity established by the Redwood Empire Schools Insurance Group. They state more than 40 years living in Sonoma County. Their priorities are fiscal transparency, community-driven development goals, and responsible growth that preserves Cloverdale's character. **Strengths:** Direct, current experience managing a multimillion-dollar public-institution budget and its infrastructure. That is a close analog to running a small city's finances and public works. **Trade-offs:** Their 40-plus years are framed as Sonoma County residency broadly, not Cloverdale specifically. How long Neylon has lived in Cloverdale is not confirmed. No prior Cloverdale civic role was found. **Keep in mind:** Their base is school-district operations and risk management. That differs from Kawa's government-relations background and Parker's public-safety leadership. Weigh it against the oversight the city needs. ## Kimberly Kern Kimberly Kern is a challenger and the sitting Superintendent of the Pope Valley Union Elementary School District. It is a TK-8 district in neighboring Napa County. Their filed ballot designation is "Public School Superintendent." Their statement says they previously served as Deputy County Superintendent at the Mendocino County Office of Education, supporting 12 districts. Earlier they worked as a principal, assistant principal, and teacher. They have an EdD in progress at Johns Hopkins University. They also hold a Stanford EdLEADers professional certificate and a master's degree in curriculum and instruction. They state experience leading schools through wildfire threats and large-scale operational and technology improvements. Their priorities are guided growth based on community values, and responsible stewardship of infrastructure and tax dollars. **Strengths:** Current executive leadership at the superintendent level. It covers a public institution's budget, safety planning, and operations. Kern's administrative background spans two counties. **Trade-offs:** Their employer, Pope Valley Union Elementary School District, sits outside Cloverdale and Sonoma County. Their statement gives no length of residence and no prior local civic work. **Keep in mind:** Like Neylon, Kern's experience comes from school-system administration, not municipal government directly. That is a different kind of record than Kawa's city-government background. ## Colleen Shields Colleen Shields is a challenger, a massage therapist and bookkeeper. Their filed ballot designation is "Massage Therapist/Bookkeeper." Their brief statement says they have lived in Cloverdale for almost 30 years. They previously served as a Board Member of the Santa Rosa Community Market. They work as Safety Committee Administrator at North Gate Ready Mix. They frame their candidacy around "defending and protecting" what they describe as Cloverdale's character. They also support "regulated, positive growth." **Strengths:** Among the longest-tenured Cloverdale residents in the field, at nearly 30 years. Shields also holds a current safety-committee role that touches workplace-safety oversight. **Trade-offs:** Their main civic credential is a Santa Rosa Community Market board seat. That is a Santa Rosa group, not a Cloverdale one. Their statement states no position beyond general growth caution. **Keep in mind:** No campaign website or independent news coverage of their candidacy was found. Their filed statement and the county's roster entry are all there is. ## Kelly Spagnola Kelly Spagnola is a challenger. Their filed ballot designation is "Community Volunteer." They qualified for the ballot Aug. 6, 2026. They did not file a Statement of Qualification. No campaign website, social media presence, or local news coverage describing their background or platform was found. Their Form 700 Statement of Economic Interests reports no reportable investments, real property, income, or business positions. **Strengths:** None independently confirmed beyond their filed candidacy and ballot designation. Their own materials do not describe volunteer work or community ties, and none are assumed here. **Trade-offs:** Of the nine candidates, Spagnola has the thinnest public record available to voters. There is no statement, no campaign site, and no news coverage to compare against the other eight. **Keep in mind:** This is a documented sourcing gap, not a claim that Spagnola lacks community involvement or a platform. It means only that no independently verifiable source describing either could be reached. ## Review notes - Chris Parker -- own 2026 campaign site (parkerforcloverdale.com/about): states "more than 28 years of leadership in public service" as a retired police chief, over 22 years living in Cloverdale, two children who attended Cloverdale's public schools, and community involvement with Reach for Home, La Familia Sana, Rotary Club, Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, and the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce; states priorities of public safety, fiscal management, local business support, infrastructure investment, and thoughtful growth. Does not name his former police department or rank history. may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources. ## Sources 1. [Sonoma County Registrar of Voters -- "Local Candidates Who Have Filed," November 3, 2026 General Election: lists a City of Cloverdale section with City Council (Elect 3) -- nine qualified candidates with ballot designation, qualification date, and incumbent flag -- and City Treasurer (Elect 1), for which the page states it is "unaware of any candidates who have filed and qualified for this office." Page last updated 8/17/26, unchanged on a live re-check 2026-09-01 after both the regular (Aug. 7) and extended (Aug. 12) nomination deadlines had passed.](https://sonomacounty.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/registrar-of-voters/elections/november-3-2026-general-election-local-candidates-who-have-filed) 2. [City of Cloverdale -- Resolution No. 045-2026, adopted June 24, 2026, calling the General Municipal Election for "three (3) at-large members of the City Council" to 4-year terms and "the City Treasurer," stating the City Treasurer position "is currently vacant." Its signature block names the sitting Council as of adoption: Vice Mayor Todd Lands, Councilmembers Laskey, Marquez, and Morgenstern, with Mayor Wheeler marked absent -- a five-member Council with Mayor and Vice Mayor filled from among its own members.](https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6808/Resolution-No-045-2026---General-Municipal-Election) 3. [City of Cloverdale -- own "Candidate Resources" page: independently names the identical nine-candidate City Council field with matching ballot designations and qualification dates, confirms zero qualified candidates for City Treasurer, and lists two non-qualifiers -- Brian Wheeler (the sitting Mayor, "Did Not File") and Savanah Hemphill ("Did Not File") -- confirming Mayor Wheeler is not seeking to keep his own Council seat this cycle.](https://www.cloverdale.net/475/Candidate-Resources) 4. [Wikipedia -- "Cloverdale, California": used narrowly for the 2020 Census population (8,996) and the city's council-manager government structure; does not cover the 2026 election.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloverdale,_California) 5. [City of Cloverdale -- own "Candidate Campaign Finances and Statements" page: links each 2026 Council candidate's Declaration of Candidacy, FPPC Form 501, and (for six of nine) an optional filed Statement of Qualification; its 2024-cycle rows show a posted Form 470 for then-candidate Todd Lands, but as of this live 2026-09-01 retrieval the 2026 candidates' campaign-finance rows remain marked "AVAILABLE AFTER NOMINATION PERIOD CLOSES" with no Form 460/470 yet posted for any of the nine.](https://www.cloverdale.net/477/Candidate-Campaign-Finances-and-Statemen) 6. [Andrés Marquez -- filed 2026 Statement of Qualification (amended), City of Cloverdale, occupation "Business Owner," age 49: states he was "appointed" to the Council "following my appointment in February 2025" and is seeking a full 4-year term, citing $10,000 secured for the Food Pantry, $75,000 to rehab the Grange, an updated City Code of Conduct, the "Home of the Eagles" mural at Washington Gym, the first guided hike at Soda Springs, transitioning student outdoor-education programming, and Council authorization for a regional water resiliency partnership.](https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6896/Marquez---SOQ---Amended_Redacted) 7. [Steve Kawa -- filed 2026 Statement of Qualification, City of Cloverdale, occupation "Owner of Steve Kawa Strategic Advising," age 64: states 19 years as a Cloverdale resident, current membership on the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce Board, over 25 years in California state and local government including service in three San Francisco mayoral administrations and as Chief of Staff to two mayors, and a law degree from Suffolk University.](https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6901/Kawa---SOQ_Redacted) 8. [Will Carter -- filed 2026 Statement of Qualification (revised), City of Cloverdale, occupation "Local Business Owner/IT Service Provider," age 31: states his family moved to Cloverdale nearly 30 years ago, that he moved back with his wife to make it their home, runs a local business there, and serves as President of the Cloverdale Kiwanis Club after earlier involvement with Key Club and Toastmasters.](https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6909/Carter---SOQ-Revised_Redacted) 9. [Jenn Neylon -- filed 2026 Statement of Qualification, City of Cloverdale, occupation "Chief Operations Officer and Chief Business Officer," age 53: states 28 years of public, private, non-profit, and educational leadership experience, current oversight of a rural 20-acre Sonoma County school campus and its $4 million annual budget, board service on Reinsurance Captive for Stable Schools (ReCSS), and over 40 years living in Sonoma County.](https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6915/Neylon---Statement-of-Qualification_Redacted) 10. [Kimberly Kern -- filed 2026 Statement of Qualification, City of Cloverdale, occupation "Public School Superintendent," age 58: states she currently serves as Superintendent of the Pope Valley Union Elementary School District (TK-8), previously served as Deputy County Superintendent at the Mendocino County Office of Education supporting 12 districts, and holds an EdD in progress at Johns Hopkins University, a Stanford EdLEADers professional certificate, and a master's degree in curriculum and instruction.](https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6919/Kern---Statement-of-Qualification_Redacted) 11. [Colleen Shields -- filed 2026 Statement of Qualification, City of Cloverdale, occupation "Massage Therapist/Bookkeeper," age 69: states roughly 30 years as a Cloverdale resident, past board membership with the Santa Rosa Community Market, and service as Safety Committee Administrator at North Gate Ready Mix.](https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6925/Shields---SOQ_Redacted) 12. [Marjorie Ann Morgenstern -- filed 2022 Statement of Qualification, City of Cloverdale, occupation "Retired," age 68 at filing: her most recent filed statement (she filed none in 2026); states her goal to "serve the individuals, families, small businesses & congregations" of Cloverdale, priorities of transparent and inclusive government, trust between police and the public, addressing the unsheltered population, and bringing urgent care to Cloverdale. Cited only for background on her prior, election-winning campaign -- not as a 2026 claim.](https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/5303/Morgenstern-Candidate-Statement-of-Qualifications-ROV-Corrections_Redacted) 13. [Chris Parker -- own 2026 campaign site (parkerforcloverdale.com/about): states "more than 28 years of leadership in public service" as a retired police chief, over 22 years living in Cloverdale, two children who attended Cloverdale's public schools, and community involvement with Reach for Home, La Familia Sana, Rotary Club, Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, and the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce; states priorities of public safety, fiscal management, local business support, infrastructure investment, and thoughtful growth. Does not name his former police department or rank history.](https://parkerforcloverdale.com/about) ## The rest of the ballot Cloverdale City Council is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "Cloverdale City Council — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/cloverdale-council (sources last retrieved September 1, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.