August 13, 2009 - November election filings show candidate shortages

Paper: Times-Standard ( Eureka, CA)
Title: November election filings show candidate shortages
Date: August 13, 2009
Author: Jessie Faulkner/The Times-Standard

With special districts, fire protection districts and school districts often scrambling to find enough candidates, the standout stand-offs for the Nov. 3 election are easy to spot.

Among those is the race for seats on the McKinleyville Community Services District Board of Directors. Incumbent Jeff Dunk opted not to seek another term, but both Bill Wennerholm and Dennis Mayo want to do it again.

Altogether, six people are seeking three seats. The challengers are David Couch, Jake Pickering, Dave Varshock and Penny Elsebusch.

There's a similar rush for a seat on the McKinleyville Union School District board, which governs the community's three schools: Morris, Dows Prairie and McKinleyville Middle School. Incumbents Barbara Kelly and David Alan Smith are seeking another four-year term. They're facing challengers Justin Zabel, Don Rosebrook and Tim Hooven. Three seats, five candidates.

Neither of the Manila Community Services Board of Directors incumbents Charles McDaniels or Shelley Lima decided to run again. However, five residents are seeking their four-year seats: Zachary Thoma, John Walker, Robert Rose, Dendra Dengler and Michael Fennell. Through a series of mishaps, Fennell's seat was incorrectly deemed a two-year seat when it should have been a four-year seat. He's decided to go for an additional four years.

The more common situation is community service, school and fire protection districts finding themselves with either too few or just enough candidates to fill vacant seats.

In those situations, Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich said, the districts can hold elections or appoint those interested to the vacant seats. The latter saves the cost of an election.