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City of Corte Madera · Statewide General Election

Corte Madera Town Council

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

This person holds one of Corte Madera's five at-large Town Council seats: the budget, land-use and zoning decisions, and town ordinances for a Marin County town of about 10,222 residents (2020 Census), incorporated in 1916. A 4-year term. The Council doesn't elect its Mayor directly -- members choose one of their own to serve as Mayor and Vice Mayor each year every December, presiding over meetings but casting only one vote like every other member.

Three of Corte Madera's five at-large Town Council seats are on the November 3 ballot. Incumbents Eli Beckman and Pat Ravasio are both seeking new terms, alongside three challengers: retired environmental engineer David Bell, Larkspur-Corte Madera School District trustee Ava Fruin, and state financial-services official Deborah Gallegos. Two other candidates who had filed, Nikita Khandheria and Joel Scott-Johnson, withdrew before the filing deadline.

Whoever wins joins a five-member Council that sets the budget, land-use and zoning decisions, and town ordinances for Corte Madera, a Marin County town of about 10,222 residents (2020 Census) incorporated in 1916. All five seats are elected at-large (not by district) to staggered 4-year terms; the Council doesn't elect its Mayor directly -- members choose one of their own to serve as Mayor and Vice Mayor each year every December, presiding over meetings but casting only one vote like every other member. The other two current councilmembers, James Andrews and Rosa Thomas (the town's current Mayor) and Vice Mayor Fred Casissa, are not up this cycle.

Because three seats are open, voters can back up to three candidates; the top three vote-getters win outright, with no runoff. All five candidates filed a first-person candidate statement with the Town Clerk for the ballot record, which is the main source for what follows -- no local newspaper covered this race in a way this dataset could access this cycle, so depth varies with what the candidates themselves put on record and what independent town documentation exists for the two incumbents and David Bell.

Eli Beckman

Eli Beckman is a lifelong Corte Madera resident and incumbent councilmember, first elected in June 2018 and reelected in November 2022. An architect by training (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, LEED AP-accredited) who works as an architectural designer and small business owner, he has served two terms as Mayor (2020-2021 and December 2023-December 2024) and sits on the Central Marin Sanitation Agency, the Building Code Appeals Board, and the town's Sea Level Rise Governance Steering Committee, among other town committees. In his candidate statement, he credits his tenure with taking the town "from near-bankrupt to AAA credit," adopting Marin County's first long-term flood and wildfire protection plan, and repairing miles of road and sewer infrastructure, and names climate-driven fire and flood risk, pushing back on state efforts to sideline local government, and continued economic development as his priorities for a third term.

Strengths

Over 8 years on the Council, two terms as Mayor, and a professional design/sustainability background (LEED AP) that lines up with his stated flood- and fire-resilience priorities.

Trade-offs

As the field's longest-serving incumbent, his record over that period is also the most exposed to scrutiny, and no independent news coverage of this campaign was found.

Keep in mind

He is one of two incumbents in a 5-candidate field for 3 seats, so re-election is not automatic.

David Bell

David Bell is a retired environmental engineer and 18-year Corte Madera resident making his first run for Town Council. He spent his career with the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center, holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA, and has worked with California environmental regulations for more than 20 years. Locally, he has served seven years on the town's Flood Control Board, is currently Vice President of the Corte Madera Lions Club (a 15-year member), and is active with the Beautification Committee, Marina Village's neighborhood response group, and Oktoberfest planning. His platform centers on flood protection, climate adaptation, infrastructure maintenance, and emergency readiness, under the tagline "Fresh perspective. Effective service. Community-first leadership."

Strengths

A career environmental engineer with 30 years of experience, plus seven years already serving on the town's own Flood Control Board -- direct alignment with his stated flood-protection priority.

Trade-offs

No prior elected office; like the other challengers, his platform and biography come from his own statement and campaign site rather than independent reporting.

Keep in mind

He is the only non-incumbent candidate with an outside campaign website expanding on his own statement, which may reflect a more resourced campaign rather than a stronger candidacy.

Ava Fruin

Ava Fruin is a sitting member of the Larkspur-Corte Madera School District Board of Trustees and a mother of three, running for her first Town Council seat. Her candidate statement describes more than fifteen years leading teams in education, technology, and nonprofit work -- strategic planning, budget oversight, and building programs she says have served thousands of learners. She frames her campaign around the connections between schools, infrastructure, parks, housing, transportation, and public services, and says she'd bring the same collaborative approach that has guided her school-board work to the Town Council.

Strengths

Current elected experience as a school district trustee, plus a stated professional background in budget oversight and program management.

Trade-offs

No town-government experience specifically, and no independent news coverage or campaign site was found this pass to corroborate or expand on her own statement.

Keep in mind

Her platform leans on connecting schools to town-level issues like housing and infrastructure -- worth weighing against candidates whose backgrounds are more directly in town government or engineering.

Deborah Gallegos

Deborah Gallegos is a 58-year-old Corte Madera resident running for her first Town Council seat. Her candidate statement describes her current role as Deputy Controller for the California State Controller's office and a background in financial services and sustainability. She pledges transparency, representing residents' needs, applying her financial background to how the town evaluates and allocates resources, supporting local businesses, and preserving open space and access to nature.

Strengths

A stated background in state-government financial oversight (Deputy Controller for the California State Controller), which could translate directly to town budget review.

Trade-offs

No town-government or local-board experience mentioned in her own statement, and no independent news coverage or campaign site was found this pass to corroborate or expand on it.

Keep in mind

Her statement is the shortest of the five and focuses on general themes (transparency, stewardship, open space) rather than specific local projects or votes.

Pat Ravasio

Pat Ravasio is an author, journalist, and real estate agent, and an incumbent councilmember first elected in November 2022. She moved to Corte Madera from Chicago in 1990 and wrote "The Girl from Spaceship Earth," a book about Buckminster Fuller; she was named the town's Citizen of the Year in 2004 for parks and beautification work, co-founded the Beautification Committee and Oktoberfest, and helped establish the community cafe and Town Park Plaza. She became Vice Mayor in December 2023 and Mayor in December 2024. In her candidate statement, she credits her first term with the free community swim program at Redwood High School, new Town Park restrooms, the Intergenerational Center at the former Andy's Market site, and the upcoming Tamalpais/101 pedestrian overcrossing, and names flood protection in low-lying areas, open-space and right-of-way protection, fire-station modernization, and economic development -- including a year-round community pool and Old Square parking and restrooms -- as her priorities for a second term.

Strengths

A first term that includes a completed Mayor rotation and several delivered community projects (swim program, Town Park restrooms, the Intergenerational Center) she can point to directly.

Trade-offs

As an incumbent, her record on the town's finances and infrastructure over her first term is also open to the same scrutiny as Beckman's.

Keep in mind

Like Beckman, she is one of two incumbents in a field of five for three seats -- both would need to out-poll at least two challengers to win a new term.

Source review: Strong (85/100) · 15 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context; advocacy or endorsement sources are treated as attributed perspective.

Review note: David Bell for Corte Madera Town Council -- personal campaign site: expands on his statement's biography (U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center environmental engineer; Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA; over 20 years working with California environmental regulations) and lists additional community roles (Marina Village Block Captain, Neighborhood Response Group Steering Committee, Coastal Cleanup organizer, Oktoberfest and Lions Car Show planning committees) under the tagline "Fresh perspective. Effective service. Community-first leadership." may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

  • marincounty.gov (opens in a new tab)Marin County Elections Department -- official "Status of local candidates for office 11/03/26" page: a table of contents of every county-administered and city/town contest in the county, listing "Town of Corte Madera Member Town Council" as a verified, filed contest -- no candidate names appear on this page, only office titles. Direct fetches returned HTTP 403 this session; no browser tool was available to retry the Chrome workaround a prior session used.
  • cortemadera.gov (opens in a new tab)Town of Corte Madera -- "Elections & Voter Information" page: states in full, "The Town of Corte Madera will hold a General Municipal Election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, to elect three Town Council members for four-year terms. Five candidates filed nomination papers: Eli Beckman, David Bell, Ava Fruin, Deborah Gallegos, Pat Ravasio. Two candidates withdrew: Nikita Khandheria (July 20) and Joel Scott-Johnson (August 10). All candidates submitted required documentation including Fair Campaign Practices Forms, candidate statements, and campaign expenditure limit forms," and links each candidate's filed candidate statement and FPPC forms by document.
  • cortemadera.gov (opens in a new tab)Town of Corte Madera -- "Upcoming Town Council Election: Status of Qualified Candidates & Measure Q" newsflash (posted Aug. 7, 2026): names the same five qualified candidates -- Eli Beckman (Incumbent), David Bell, Ava Fruin, Deborah Gallegos, Pat Ravasio (Incumbent) -- confirming which two are sitting councilmembers; also describes Measure Q, a parcel-tax extension for paramedic/EMS services (not built here -- measures are descoped from display).
  • cortemadera.gov (opens in a new tab)Town of Corte Madera -- "Town Council" page: "Town Council Members are elected by the electorate of the town for a 4-year term. The members are elected on a staggered-term basis," with elections "in November of even-numbered years beginning in November, 2022"; a 5-member, at-large body; lists Rosa Thomas as the current Mayor and Fred Casissa as current Vice Mayor (the titles rotate annually each December per Beckman's and Ravasio's own bios, so this page -- not Wikipedia -- is treated as authoritative for who holds the title today).
  • cortemadera.gov (opens in a new tab)Town of Corte Madera -- Eli Beckman's official councilmember bio page: a lifelong Corte Madera resident (Neil Cummins, Hall, Redwood schools), a Bachelor of Architecture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a LEED AP-accredited architectural designer, small business owner, writer, and photographer; elected to the Council in June 2018 and reelected November 2022 (term expiring November 2026); Mayor 2020-2021 and again December 2023-December 2024, with Vice Mayor service in between; current committee seats include the Central Marin Police Authority (alternate), Central Marin Sanitation Agency, Building Code Appeals Board, Sea Level Rise Governance Steering Committee, Climate Action Committee liaison, and Sanitary District No. 2 board member; active in the Corte Madera Lions Club and the Mariner Cove Neighborhood Response Group.
  • cortemadera.gov (opens in a new tab)Town of Corte Madera -- Pat Ravasio's official councilmember bio page: an author, journalist, real estate agent, and parent of three grown daughters who relocated to Corte Madera from Chicago in 1990 and wrote "The Girl from Spaceship Earth," a book about Buckminster Fuller; named Citizen of the Year in 2004 for parks and beautification work; co-founded the Beautification Committee and Oktoberfest and helped establish the community cafe and Town Park Plaza; elected to the Council in November 2022 (term expiring November 2026), advanced to Vice Mayor in December 2023 and became Mayor in December 2024; serves on the Central Marin Fire Authority, several Marin County Council committees (Climate Action, Homeless, Legislative), ad hoc age-friendly and park-accessibility committees, and as a Sanitary District No. 2 board member.
  • cortemadera.gov (opens in a new tab)Eli Beckman's official candidate statement, filed with and hosted by the Town Clerk (received Aug. 7, 2026): occupation "Corte Madera Town Council Member/Architect"; describes over 8 years on the Council and two terms as Mayor, crediting that tenure with taking the town "from near-bankrupt to AAA credit," adopting "Marin County's first long-term plan to protect our community from flooding and wildfire," and repairing miles of road and sewer infrastructure; names climate-driven fire/flood risk, resisting state efforts "to sideline local government," and economic development/community events as his priorities for a third term.
  • cortemadera.gov (opens in a new tab)David Bell's official candidate statement, filed with and hosted by the Town Clerk (received Aug. 3, 2026): self-described as "David C. Bell," a retired environmental engineer with 30 years of experience and an 18-year Corte Madera resident; cites seven years on the Corte Madera Flood Control Board, 15 years in the Corte Madera Lions Club (currently Vice President), and work with the Beautification Committee; platform is thoughtful planning, responsible decision-making, and active listening.
  • cortemadera.gov (opens in a new tab)Ava Fruin's official candidate statement, filed with and hosted by the Town Clerk (received Aug. 4, 2026): self-describes as a Larkspur-Corte Madera School District Board of Trustees member and mother of three, with more than fifteen years leading teams in education, technology, and nonprofit organizations (strategic planning, budget oversight, building programs "serving thousands of learners"); frames schools, infrastructure, parks, housing, transportation, and public services as interconnected, and pledges the same collaborative approach on the Town Council.
  • cortemadera.gov (opens in a new tab)Deborah Gallegos's official candidate statement, filed with and hosted by the Town Clerk (received Aug. 12, 2026, an amendment correcting an address omission on the original Aug. 7 filing): self-describes as "Deborah E Gallegos," a 58-year-old Corte Madera resident currently serving as Deputy Controller for the California State Controller, with a background in financial services and sustainability; pledges transparency, representing the community, resource-allocation stewardship, support for local businesses, and preserving open space and access to nature.
  • cortemadera.gov (opens in a new tab)Pat Ravasio's official candidate statement, filed with and hosted by the Town Clerk (received Aug. 7, 2026): credits her first term with the free community swim program at Redwood High School, new restrooms at Town Park, the Intergenerational Center at the former Andy's Market site, and the upcoming Tamalpais/101 pedestrian overcrossing; names low-lying-area flood protection, open-space and right-of-way protection, fire-station modernization, and economic development (housing infrastructure, a year-round community pool, and Old Square parking/restrooms) as her priorities for a second term.
  • davidbellforcortemadera.com (opens in a new tab)David Bell for Corte Madera Town Council -- personal campaign site: expands on his statement's biography (U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center environmental engineer; Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA; over 20 years working with California environmental regulations) and lists additional community roles (Marina Village Block Captain, Neighborhood Response Group Steering Committee, Coastal Cleanup organizer, Oktoberfest and Lions Car Show planning committees) under the tagline "Fresh perspective. Effective service. Community-first leadership."
  • netfile.com (opens in a new tab)A negative-result local campaign-finance check: Marin County's local NetFile campaign-disclosure portal (agency code MRN) was checked directly at netfile.com/public/MRN/campaign, including queried with each candidate's surname, and returns only the same client-rendered single-page-application shell documented dataset-wide for other NetFile jurisdictions (e.g. Novato, Atascadero) -- no server-side content reachable this pass. Documents the absence of a reachable financial-disclosure source, not any candidate's actual campaign finances.
  • cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)A negative-result access check: California's statewide Cal-Access campaign-finance filer/candidate search was queried directly this pass and returned an empty response, consistent with the Cal-Access bot-wall documented elsewhere in this dataset. Local candidates for a seat like this typically file with the town/county rather than the state in any case. Documents an access gap, not a claim about any candidate's actual state-level filings.
  • en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia, "Corte Madera, California": used narrowly for the fixed, dated 2020 Census population figure (10,222) and incorporation date (June 10, 1916); its claim that Pat Ravasio is the current Mayor is contradicted by the town's own current Town Council page (which names Rosa Thomas) and is treated as stale, not used for that fact.

Last updated September 2, 2026.