Arroyo Grande cancels election for mayor, City Council — no challengers wanted to run
With all its incumbents running unopposed, the Arroyo Grande City Council has canceled its local portion of the November election, despite a last-minute push for the city go ahead and hold one for write-in candidates.
This means Mayor Caren Ray Russom will return for another two-year stint at the city’s helm. Councilwomen Kristen Barneich and Lan George will both also return for four-year terms on the City Council.
This isn’t the first time Arroyo Grande has canceled an election. A lack of challengers in 2008 and 2012 ended in the same result, according to City Clerk Kelly Wetmore.
Arroyo Grande is the only South County city in which all of the candidates were running unopposed this year.
During its meeting Aug. 18, the City Council briefly considered continuing with the election as planned and allowing potential write-in candidates to potentially throw their hats into the ring.
Ultimately, the council voted against that, noting that canceling the election would save $28,000 — money that the cash-strapped city could potentially need to weather the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Notice was provided. Everyone had a chance, and only the incumbents filed,” Councilman Jimmy Paulding said. “I understand that some folks are upset and aren’t happy with this council or the mayor, but they had the exact same opportunity as did the incumbents to file papers and run a campaign if they were serious.”
Paulding added that it “doesn’t make sense to spend $28,000 to hold an election just for write-in candidates.”
“The only people who stepped up were the incumbents,” he concluded.
Councilwoman George said she began preparing to run for election six weeks ago, and waited for a challenger to appear.
“This position deserves respect. It deserves someone who’s willing to go all-in and do the hard work and ultimately serve our residents” she said. “It’s not easy. The decision to serve on this council should be made with great consideration, and it shouldn’t be made on a whim, and it shouldn’t be made as an afterthought, and it shouldn’t be made on the fly because of one issue.”
The cancellation does not mean residents will not get a chance to vote on other issues this November: Arroyo Grande voters will still be able to vote on other county, state and national issues on the ballot.
Potential candidate says mayor threatened her
At last week’s meeting, one member of the public also called in to express concern over a message exchange between Ray Russom and resident Lea Rigo, in which the mayor appeared to try to dissuade Rigo from running for office.
In the exchange, Ray Russom wrote that Rigo — who has been a vocal advocate of off-roading at the Oceano Dunes and expressed interest in being Arroyo Grande’s representative on the Air Pollution Control District Board — would be unable to vote on Dunes-specific APCD issues since she has a conflict of interest (Rigo owns Freedom Ropes, which sells off-road recovery ropes out of Oceano).
“... There are more effective things you can do in order to support the Dunes, and running for mayor simply won’t get you there,” Ray Russom wrote in the message, which was provided to The Tribune by Rigo. “You won’t even be able to do it. So you’ll go through all the ugliness of the election, put your kids and husband through that, air out all your dirty laundry for everyone to see and attach to your business, and all so you can’t vote on APCD if you even get there.
“Mother to mother, wife to wife, I just can’t sit back and not say anything to you as you make your final decision.”
Rigo said in a news release to local media that she decided not to run for mayor after receiving the message because she felt Ray Russom had threatened her.
“I’ve decided not to run for mayor at this time,” she said. “Ray Russom may win in Arroyo Grande, but taxpayers, democracy, and civil discourse are the losers.”
At Aug. 18’s meeting, Ray Russom addressed the contact she had with Rigo, saying “there was context for that letter.”
“That candidate and I had a conversation, actually two conversations prior to that, on both subjects of the difficulties of being out there in the public eye and the situations with the Dunes,” she said. “In my estimation, there was context and prior conversation that allowed that letter to be written.”
During discussion, Councilman Keith Storton said he did not find the letter threatening.
“From my position as a police officer retired, I have definitely investigated things that people consider intimidating or harassing, and this did not qualify at all,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I found it as constructive advice for somebody who is thinking of taking on a position.”
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