The race for Efren's seat is going to be huuuge! Noreen and Eric and both highly qualified (so far, I support Norreen!) and there are other interesting candidates as well. Here's a good roundup.
Barry
Two political veterans considering run for Efren Carrillo’s Sonoma County Board of Supervisors seat
Two seasoned veterans in Sonoma County politics are emerging as contenders in a crowded field of potential candidates for the 5th District supervisor seat held by Efren Carrillo.
Noreen Evans, an attorney and former Santa Rosa councilwoman who retired from the state Senate last year after a decade in the Legislature, is positioning herself for a possible bid for the seat, as is Occidental attorney Eric Koenigshofer, who represented the same district on the Board of Supervisors 35 years ago and is one of Carrillo’s closest advisers.
Carrillo’s second term representing the west county expires at the end of next year. He has not said whether he plans to run for re-election.
Evans, 60, said she is seriously considering a run for supervisor, saying her year away from political office has given her fresh perspective and a renewed interest in local politics.
“Over the 10 years I spent in the state Legislature, I began to realize that real change happens locally, and I can see that there’s a lot of work that needs to get done here on issues I care about — climate change, for example, coastal protection, housing,” Evans said.
To run, she would have to move into the 5th District and out of the Rincon Valley home she purchased earlier this year. Evans said she is searching for housing in the west county district but wasn’t ready to announce a bid until she had lined up the political support necessary to run a strong campaign.
“I’m talking to potential supporters — financial and political — and finding out what people think,” Evans said. “I’m not worried about fundraising. My question is: Do people want me to run?”
Koenigshofer, 65, who represents the Ratto Group, the county’s dominant garbage hauler, said Thursday that he is planning to run if Carrillo does not. He represented the west county for a single term on the Board of Supervisors in the late 1970s and said his interest in the seat has been fueled by his continued roles in the public arena, including posts on county advisory panels weighing winery development and civilian oversight of law enforcement.
“Even when I stepped down from the board, I never left local government,” Koenigshofer said. “I have deep roots in this district and this county.”
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