Crowded field forms for Tam district board; no council challengers so far

Candidate filing for the Nov. 3 election has drawn no challengers so far to the Tiburon and Belvedere council seats, but a crowded field is taking shape for the Tamalpais Union High School District board.

Six candidates have taken out nomination papers for three seats on the Tamalpais Union High School District board, the most contested race on peninsula ballots so far.

Elsewhere among the roughly 30 peninsula seats on the ballot, most incumbents face no opposition. In Tiburon, Councilmember Alice Fredericks, first elected in 2001, took out papers July 15 as she seeks a seventh term. The two other council seats, held by Jack Ryan and Jon Welner, had drawn no candidates by press deadline. Neither incumbent had taken out papers, and no challengers had emerged.

In Belvedere, Councilmember Peter Mark qualified for the November ballot July 16, having filed his candidacy papers July 14. Fellow Councilmember Jane Cooper took out papers July 13 but had not yet filed. Both were first elected in 2022 and seek second terms, their last under a local custom that limits members to two terms. No challengers had surfaced for the two seats.

Candidates must file by 5 p.m. Aug. 7. If any incumbent in a race does not file, challengers in that race may continue to file through 5 p.m. Aug. 12.

Interested residents may obtain nomination papers from Tiburon Town Clerk Lea Dilena at 415-435-7377 or ldilena@townoftiburon.gov, and from Belvedere City Clerk Beth Haener at 415-435-8913 or clerk@cityofbelvedere.org.

Other peninsula races

Reed Union School District: Three seats and a $115 million school bond are on the ballot. Challenger Lina Godfrey, a Tiburon resident and disability-access advocate who serves on the town’s Diversity Inclusion Task Force, has taken out papers. Incumbent Mike Ghaffary, appointed to the board in February, filed his declaration of candidacy July 14. Board President Shelby Pasarell Tsai said she will run again but had not taken out papers. Board member Afsaneh Zolfaghari is not seeking reelection.

Tamalpais Union High School District: Six candidates have taken out papers for the three seats. The five challengers are Leslie Harlander, a former board member and 2020 board president; Brian Sutherland, a constitutional lawyer with two sons at Tamalpais High School, who filed July 16; Cynthia Joy Scully Koo, a Mill Valley resident who co-organizes the Marin Youth Job Fair; Maria Sandoval, a Mill Valley Spanish teacher who serves on the Marin County Free Library Commission; and Brandon Johnson, a Forest Knolls web developer and youth basketball coach who ran unsuccessfully for the board in 2020. Incumbent Cynthia Roenisch has also taken out papers; incumbent Kevin Saavedra had not. Incumbent Emily Uhlhorn is not seeking reelection.

Mill Valley School District: Three seats are up. Incumbents Natalie Katz, Sharon Nakatani and Yunhee Yoo have taken out papers. All three were first elected in 2022.

Tiburon Fire Protection District: Three seats are up. Incumbent Richard Jones has taken out papers. Board President Joy Ho, who indicated she will run, and Cheryl Woodford, who said she was undecided, had not.

Southern Marin Fire Protection District: Four seats are up. Incumbents Cristine Soto DeBerry and Peter Fleming have taken out papers, as has challenger Thomas Clark. Incumbent Kurt Chun took out papers and filed July 16. Incumbent Tom Perazzo said he will run but had not taken out papers.

Sanitary District No. 5 of Marin: Two seats are up. Incumbent Tod Moody has taken out papers. Board President Catharine Benediktsson, who said she will run, had not.

Richardson Bay Sanitary District: Three seats are up, and no candidates have taken out papers. Incumbents Patrick Walravens, Peter McIntosh and Mark Fitzgerald are eligible for reelection. Walravens indicated he will run.

Strawberry Recreation District: No candidates have taken out papers for the three four-year seats, held by Peter Teese, Sohrab Saghezchi and Sarah Waterfield. For a separate two-year seat, Aliza Hawkins has taken out papers. Hawkins, a Strawberry resident and Rakuten Advertising account specialist, sought appointment to the board last year but lost to Doug Twillman. Twillman, appointed to fill that vacancy, had not taken out papers and has not decided whether to seek the two-year seat or a four-year seat.

Marin County Board of Education: The Trustee Area 5 seat, which covers the Reed Union district and the Tiburon Peninsula, is on the ballot. Incumbent Marilyn Nemzer of Tiburon, reappointed in 2022 after no challenger filed, had not taken out papers, and her plans are unconfirmed.

As with the local councils, all candidates have until 5 p.m. Aug. 7 to file. If any incumbent in a race does not file, challengers in that race get an extended deadline of 5 p.m. Aug. 12.

Candidates file with the Marin Elections Department, Suite 121 of the Marin Civic Center in San Rafael. Contact Marin candidate services at 415-473-6437 or candidateservices@marincounty.gov with questions. For more information, including a candidate guide, visit marinvotes.org.