# Fairfield Mayor

Compare records and positions simply between George Kennedy, Pam Bertani, Nikila Walker Gibson, or Scott Tonnesen for Fairfield Mayor at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. 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.

- Jurisdiction: City of Fairfield
- Election: November 3, 2026 California general election
- Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements.
- Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/fairfield-mayor
- 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: 84 out of 100 (Strong), across 11 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology

## On the ballot

- **George Kennedy** — Small Business Owner
- **Pam Bertani** — Mother / Councilmember / Attorney
- **Nikila Walker Gibson** — Business Owner
- **Scott Tonnesen** — Small Businessman / Councilmember

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

Four candidates are running for Fairfield's at-large Mayor seat: Vice Mayor Pam Bertani, Councilman Scott Tonnesen, small-business owner Nikila Walker Gibson, and small-business owner George Kennedy. None of them is the sitting Mayor -- Rick Vaccaro, appointed to finish out the prior mayor's term, did not file for a full term of his own.

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

Bertani's 2026 ballot designation is "Mother / Councilmember / Attorney." She is Fairfield's sitting Vice Mayor and the District 4 councilmember. In a 2023 Daily Republic interview from her time as Vice Mayor, she named downtown beautification, reviving the shuttered mall, and a "zero tolerance" approach to homelessness -- which she called an issue of "public safety and human dignity" -- among her priorities.

**Strengths:** She is the highest-ranking sitting officeholder in the race as Vice Mayor. She has a documented multi-year council record and stated priorities on homelessness and downtown revitalization.

**Trade-offs:** The only independently sourced quotes on her positions are from a 2023 article. Her current platform for this specific race was not independently confirmed.

**Keep in mind:** In 2023 her "listening tour" proposal drew on-the-record pushback from colleagues Scott Tonnesen and Doriss Panduro. They cited a lack of advance coordination. Tonnesen is also running for Mayor. That is a data point on her working relationships, not a current dispute.

## Scott Tonnesen

Tonnesen's 2026 ballot designation is "Small Businessman / Councilmember." He is the sitting District 2 councilman. In a July 2026 news story, speaking at a colleague's council campaign launch, he said Fairfield needs "leaders who are willing to make difficult decisions based on what is best for our city." In 2023, as a councilman, he was on the record pressing the mayor's office to coordinate town-hall scheduling with district councilmembers.

**Strengths:** A sitting councilman with a multi-year record on the council, including a public willingness to challenge colleagues over process.

**Trade-offs:** No 2026 campaign profile, website, or platform statement was found for him. His views here come from remarks made in other settings, not a mayoral platform document.

**Keep in mind:** His July 2026 quote about difficult decisions came while supporting a colleague's re-election, not his own Mayor campaign. Read it as a signal of his stated values, not a direct platform quote.

## Nikila Walker Gibson

Walker Gibson's 2026 ballot designation is "Business Owner." She owns Tiny Town Solano, a children's play space that opened in November 2025, and LAVE Wash, and previously ran a home-based preschool; she holds a background in psychology and behavioral science with an emphasis on child development, and serves as a First 5 Solano commissioner. Announcing her campaign, she said community participation should be built around "parents, working families, caregivers, seniors and people with disabilities," not just those with time for traditional political events, and named public safety, economic opportunity, workforce development, housing, and transportation as connected priorities.

**Strengths:** A dedicated campaign-launch news feature gives detailed, first-person platform statements. She also has a specific local business record and civic service as a First 5 Solano commissioner.

**Trade-offs:** No prior elected or appointed government office. Her civic experience comes through business ownership and a county advisory commission rather than city government.

**Keep in mind:** She entered the race in December 2025, well before the July and August 2026 filing period most other candidates used. That signals a longer campaign runway, not a platform position.

## George Kennedy

Kennedy's 2026 ballot designation is "Small Business Owner." A Daily Republic letter to the editor from a Fairfield-Suisun sixth-grade teacher describes him as Fairfield's "pickleball ambassador," crediting him with organizing a round-robin pickleball tournament that funded equipment for a youth pickleball club at David Weir Elementary, and says he spent hours helping tape the school's blacktop courts.

**Strengths:** A specific, corroborated example of hands-on community volunteer work that benefits local youth.

**Trade-offs:** No independent news profile, website, or platform statement was found for him. That is thinner sourcing than his three rivals have. It is a gap in what could be found, not a judgment on him.

**Keep in mind:** The only material found for him is a single attributed endorsement letter. That is one supporter's account rather than independent reporting or his own words. Read it as one person's perspective.

## Review notes

- Daily Republic -- letter to the editor, "Endorsement for George Kennedy" (undated, 2026 filing period): a first-person, attributed endorsement from a Fairfield-Suisun Unified sixth-grade teacher describing George Kennedy as Fairfield's "pickleball ambassador," crediting him with organizing a round-robin pickleball tournament that raised $1,200 to equip a youth pickleball club at David Weir Elementary. An attributed opinion piece, not neutral news -- the only independent material found for Kennedy beyond the county log's occupation field. may have more bias because it is an editorial endorsement source compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

## Sources

1. [Solano County Registrar of Voters -- official "Candidate Filed Log - November 3, 2026 General Election" (as of 8/20/2026, print timestamp 8/27/2026 9:31 AM), re-downloaded fresh 2026-09-01 directly from the county's own elections page (no newer version has been published): within the City of Fairfield's own section (pages 10-11), four contests appear -- Mayor At Large (Vote for 1: Pam Bertani, Scott Tonnesen, Nikila Walker Gibson, George Kennedy; incumbent Rick Vaccaro listed with no filing dates, i.e. did not file), Councilmember District 1 (Vote for 1: incumbent K. Patrice Williams vs. Nora Dizon), Councilmember District 3 (Vote for 1: incumbent Doug Carr, Robert Marin, Susan Bush), and Councilmember District 5 (Vote for 1: incumbent Doriss Panduro vs. Lynda Davis-Robinson) -- 11 candidates total, correcting the authoring queue's preliminary '4 candidates' estimate](https://content.solanocounty.gov/sites/default/files/2026-07/CANDIDATE_FILED_LOG_Nov_3_2026_7.13.26.pdf)
2. [Wikipedia -- "Fairfield, California": confirms a council-manager government, seven total council seats (six district seats plus an at-large Mayor), a shift from at-large to district council elections effective November 2020, and a 2020 Census population of 119,881; does not cover the 2026 election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfield,_California)
3. [Daily Republic -- "November ballots being filled by city incumbents, hopefuls" (July 21, 2026): one week into the filing period, confirms Catherine Moy resigned as Fairfield Mayor in June 2026; that Pam Bertani (Vice Mayor), Scott Tonnesen (Councilman), Kam Holzendorf, and Nikila Walker Gibson had taken out Mayor nomination papers; that Nora Dizon and incumbent K. Patrice Williams had pulled District 1 papers; that Susan Bush, Robert Marin, and incumbent Doug Carr had pulled District 3 papers; and that incumbent Doriss Panduro was seeking a new term against possible challenger Lynda Davis-Robinson in District 5](https://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/november-ballots-being-filled-by-city-incumbents-hopefuls/article_69b2704a-e56e-4c87-b6e6-24448c680c19.html)
4. [Daily Republic -- "Fairfield, Vacaville voters to choose new mayors" (Aug. 3, 2026): confirms Rick Vaccaro was appointed to fill out the remainder of Catherine Moy's vacated term and has said he does not intend to run for a full term; that Pam Bertani (Vice Mayor, District 4) had filed her Mayor nomination papers; that George Kennedy newly joined the Mayor field while Kam Holzendorf dropped out; that District 2 Councilman Scott Tonnesen had pulled Mayor papers; and that Nora Dizon and Robert Marin had filed for Districts 1 and 3 respectively while Lynda Davis-Robinson had taken out papers for District 5](https://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/fairfield-vacaville-voters-to-choose-new-mayors/article_42ec4c9d-e06b-4250-9d08-97cff2de0ec7.html)
5. [Daily Republic -- published Fairfield City Council meeting agenda, Sept. 1, 2026: its roll-call section independently cross-checks the entire sitting council roster by name and role in one document -- Councilmembers Doug Carr, Doriss Panduro, Manveer Sandhu, Scott Tonnesen, and K. Patrice Williams, Vice Mayor Pam Bertani, and Mayor Rick Vaccaro](https://www.dailyrepublic.com/ff-council/article_3d45f754-bba6-48bb-9577-8e8fbac496b2.html)
6. [Daily Republic -- "Local businesswoman to kick off mayoral run on Monday" (Dec. 31, 2025): a dedicated feature on Nikila Walker Gibson's Fairfield Mayor campaign launch -- names her the owner of Tiny Town Solano (opened Nov. 2025) and LAVE Wash, a former home-based preschool operator, a First 5 Solano commissioner, and a lifelong Fairfield resident and mother of four with a psychology/behavioral-science education emphasizing child development; quotes her at length on making civic participation accessible to working families and on public safety, economic opportunity, workforce development, housing, and transportation as connected priorities](https://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/local-businesswoman-to-kick-off-mayoral-run-on-monday/article_b7389667-23f3-4a5e-aaee-e85201ebebcc.html)
7. [Daily Republic -- "Fairfield mayor, vice mayor launch listening tour around city districts" (Jan. 19, 2023): council-era reporting (not 2026 campaign material) confirming Pam Bertani as sitting Vice Mayor, quoting her at length proposing a town-hall "listening tour" through the city's six council districts and describing beautification, downtown revitalization, the shuttered mall, and homelessness as "public safety and human dignity" among her recurring priorities; also quotes then-Councilman Scott Tonnesen and Councilwoman Doriss Panduro objecting to the rollout's lack of advance coordination with district councilmembers](https://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/fairfield/fairfield-mayor-vice-mayor-launch-listening-tour-around-city-districts/article_abb6040b-450a-5866-a48b-25f7491045ec.html)
8. [Daily Republic -- "Tonnesen expresses frustration with mayor's listening style" (Feb. 23, 2023): council-era reporting confirming Scott Tonnesen as a sitting Fairfield councilman and quoting his on-the-record criticism, at a council meeting, of the mayor's office not coordinating town-hall scheduling with district councilmembers](https://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/fairfield/tonnesen-expresses-frustration-with-mayor-s-listening-style/article_9f8eecdc-c905-595e-b2aa-d624c4b33fca.html)
9. [Daily Republic -- "Carr revs up campaign for 2nd term on Fairfield council" (July 2, 2026): reports Doug Carr's District 3 re-election campaign launch, quoting him on reducing the city's budget deficit from $20 million to $11 million, his 20-year career as a licensed drug/alcohol counselor, and his role in the city's supportive-housing and homelessness decisions; quotes Councilman Scott Tonnesen speaking on Carr's behalf and confirms Tonnesen's own Mayor run; confirms Robert Marin as Carr's District 3 opponent. Cited only for its independent corroboration of Tonnesen's council seat and Mayor candidacy -- District 3 itself is not built (see coverage-gaps.ts)](https://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/carr-revs-up-campaign-for-2nd-term-on-fairfield-council/article_1feb3a87-fa89-42a4-8911-a5776b100333.html)
10. [Daily Republic -- letter to the editor, "Endorsement for George Kennedy" (undated, 2026 filing period): a first-person, attributed endorsement from a Fairfield-Suisun Unified sixth-grade teacher describing George Kennedy as Fairfield's "pickleball ambassador," crediting him with organizing a round-robin pickleball tournament that raised $1,200 to equip a youth pickleball club at David Weir Elementary. An attributed opinion piece, not neutral news -- the only independent material found for Kennedy beyond the county log's occupation field](https://www.dailyrepublic.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-to-the-editor-endorsement-for-george-kennedy/article_bfddfcc0-fdd6-5b17-8a71-cf0837bfced5.html)
11. [A negative-result campaign-finance search: California's Cal-Access campaign-finance search (cal-access.sos.ca.gov) returned only an Incapsula bot-detection challenge page for a direct filer search on each of the six built candidates' surnames this session (Bertani, Tonnesen, Walker Gibson, Kennedy, Williams, Dizon), tried both as a direct request and with full browser headers. Cal-Access covers only state-level committees in any case, not local city-council candidates. Documents the absence of a reachable financial-disclosure source for these contests, not any candidate's actual finances](https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Misc/filerSearch.aspx?SEARCH=Bertani)

## The rest of the ballot

Fairfield Mayor 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, "Fairfield Mayor — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/fairfield-mayor (sources last retrieved September 1, 2026).

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