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Sebastopol City Council

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City of Sebastopol

Sebastopol City Council

Councilmembers vote on Sebastopol's city budget, ordinances, and land use. Sebastopol is a Sonoma County city of 7,521 people. It is a council-manager city, run day-to-day by a professional city manager. The five-member elected Council sets policy, with staggered four-year terms. The Council picks a Mayor and Vice Mayor from its own members. Unlike some nearby Sonoma County cities, Sebastopol keeps all five seats at large. This November's ballot includes three of those seats.

Seven candidates are running for three at-large seats on Sebastopol's City Council. They are attorney Brandie L. Solovay, Vice Mayor Sandra Maurer, and board clerk Kyreen Jorgensen. Also running are Mayor Jill McLewis, welder James Woodruff, and student Erin Mitchell. The last is engineer Ian Hoff. You can vote for up to three. The top three win. There is no runoff.

Sebastopol is a council-manager city in Sonoma County. It had 7,521 residents in the 2020 Census. The elected five-member City Council sets the budget, ordinances, and land use policy. A professional city manager runs day to day operations. Each seat serves a staggered four-year term. The Council picks the Mayor and Vice Mayor from its own members. Several nearby Sonoma County cities moved to district Council elections this cycle. Healdsburg and the city of Sonoma both did. Sebastopol keeps all five seats at-large. Three of them are on this November's ballot.

Two of the three outgoing incumbents are running again. They are Mayor Jill McLewis and Vice Mayor Sandra Maurer. The third, Councilmember Stephen Zollman, chose not to run again. That left an open seat. It is part of why the field grew to seven candidates for three spots. None of the challengers has held elected office in Sebastopol before.

Brandie L. Solovay

Brandie L. Solovay is a lawyer and a parent. Their work covers immigration law and criminal defense. They have also handled family law, disability law, and civil suits. They moved to town in 2023 and are legally blind and LGBTQIA.

Sandra Maurer

Sandra Maurer is the Vice Mayor and has been on the Council since 2022. She has lived in town for 38 years. She led a nonprofit and owns a small business. She once served as an intervenor at the state utilities commission.

Kyreen Jorgensen

Kyreen Jorgensen is Board Clerk for the SMART rail district. Before that they were Deputy Clerk for the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. Their platform is fiscal sustainability, open government, and planning for growth. They also want to protect the town's character.

Jill McLewis

Jill McLewis is the sitting Mayor and is running again. They own a downtown business. They also lead a Northern California food and beverage trade group.

James Woodruff

James Woodruff's ballot title is Welder and Fabricator. They have lived in town for 32 years. They hold wastewater and water supply certifications. They have also volunteered with the Indivisible movement.

Erin Mitchell

Erin Mitchell's ballot title is Environmental Planning Student. Their campaign site has only a slogan and a contact form. No life story or platform for them was found.

Ian Hoff

Ian Hoff's ballot title is Engineer and Business Owner. They are a structural engineer and own a business in town. They have been a volunteer firefighter for the city and for Gold Ridge Fire. Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins backs them.

Your picks · choose up to 3

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

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