Jimmy Paulding announces new run for SLO County supervisor. He lost by 60 votes last time
Arroyo Grande Councilman Jimmy Paulding announced on Wednesday he will again run for a seat on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors in 2022 — setting up a potential rematch of a race he lost three years ago by a tiny margin.
Paulding — a lawyer who’s served on the Arroyo Grande City Council since 2018 — will renew his bid to become the District 4 supervisor to “restore good governance” to the county board, he said in a news release.
District 4 includes a handful of South County communities, including Arroyo Grande, Oceano, Nipomo and parts of Edna Valley.
“As a public servant, I deeply value the responsibility of representing everybody, whether they vote for me or not,” Paulding said in the release. “Valuing the perspectives of all who care to engage in a civil and respectful conversation is everything. If you don’t value that, you shouldn’t hold public office.”
In 2018, Paulding faced off against incumbent Supervisor Lynn Compton in a hard-fought and expensive race. Compton ultimately prevailed by just 60 votes.
Later that same year, Paulding ran for and won a seat on the Arroyo Grande City Council, where he has now served for three years. His term is up in 2022.
Paulding said he’s embarking on his 2022 campaign “for the same reasons he ran before.”
“Our community is not well served by the incumbent, and South County is suffering from a lack of leadership and creativity,” Paulding said in the release. “We need someone with a strong vision to guide our post-pandemic recovery, to rebuild our economy with lots of good paying jobs, and make sure no one is left out along the way.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2021 at 10:11 AM.
