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Fairfield Mayor

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City of Fairfield

Fairfield Mayor

This person would hold Fairfield's at-large Mayor seat. It is one of seven seats on the City Council. Fairfield is Solano County's largest city and county seat, with 119,881 residents. Six other councilmembers are elected by district. Fairfield uses a council-manager government. The Council sets policy, the budget, and land use. An appointed City Manager runs day-to-day operations. The Mayor is elected citywide, unlike the six district seats. The Mayor has no extra power beyond one Council vote and running meetings. The term is four years.

Four candidates are running for Fairfield's at-large Mayor seat. They are Vice Mayor Pam Bertani, Councilman Scott Tonnesen, Nikila Walker Gibson, and George Kennedy. None of them is the sitting Mayor. Rick Vaccaro was named to finish the prior mayor's term. He did not file for a full term.

This person would hold Fairfield's at-large Mayor seat. It is one of seven seats on the City Council. Fairfield is Solano County's largest city and its county seat, with 119,881 residents in the 2020 Census. The other six councilmembers are elected by district. Fairfield uses a council-manager government. The Council sets policy, the budget, and land use. An appointed City Manager runs day-to-day operations. Unlike the six district seats, the Mayor is elected citywide. The office carries no separate executive powers. The Mayor has one vote on the Council and runs its meetings. The term is four years.

The seat is open after an unusually turbulent year in Fairfield city government. Mayor Catherine Moy resigned in June 2026. Her resignation followed a Quo Warranto legal challenge over her residency. Councilwoman K. Patrice Williams brought that challenge in December 2025, and it led to an independent investigation. The Council then appointed Rick Vaccaro, a former councilman, to serve out the rest of Moy's term. Vaccaro has said he does not intend to run for a full term of his own. That leaves no incumbent on this ballot line. Two of the four candidates gave up safe council seats to run. They were not required to vacate them.

Pam Bertani

Pam Bertani is Fairfield's Vice Mayor and its District 4 councilmember. Her ballot label is "Mother, Councilmember, Attorney." In a 2023 interview she named downtown beautification as a priority. She also wants to revive the shuttered mall. She backed a "zero tolerance" approach to homelessness. She called homelessness an issue of "public safety and human dignity."

Scott Tonnesen

Scott Tonnesen is Fairfield's sitting District 2 councilman. His ballot label is "Small Businessman, Councilmember." In July 2026 he said Fairfield needs leaders willing to make difficult decisions. In 2023 he pressed the mayor's office to coordinate town hall scheduling. He wanted that done with district councilmembers.

Nikila Walker Gibson

Nikila Walker Gibson owns Tiny Town Solano and LAVE Wash. Her background is in psychology and behavioral science. She focuses on child development. She serves as a First 5 Solano commissioner. She names public safety, economic opportunity, and workforce development as priorities. Housing and transportation are on her list too.

George Kennedy

George Kennedy's ballot label is "Small Business Owner." A local teacher calls him Fairfield's "pickleball ambassador." He ran a round-robin tournament that funded pickleball gear for a youth club. That club is at David Weir Elementary.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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