Sanitary board incumbents on track to keep seats over Turnacliff

Incumbents Mark Fitzgerald, Peter McIntosh and Patrick Walravens will win new four-year terms on the Richardson Bay Sanitary District board, holding off challenger John Turnacliff in early returns from the Nov. 3 election.

Fitzgerald had votes on 50.1% of ballots counted, McIntosh on 48.8%, Walravens on 47.3% and Turnacliff on 19.5% in returns the Marin County Elections Department posted at 8:25 p.m. Nov. 3. Voters could choose up to three candidates, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

When those returns posted, 59,846 ballots had been counted countywide, about 34% of Marin’s 173,804 registered voters. The results are unofficial. Mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day could arrive as late as Nov. 10 and still be counted, and Marin County has until Dec. 3 to certify the results. The three winners will serve four-year terms through November 2030, joining sitting board members Mark Slater and Jeff Slavitz.

Complete coverage: thearknewspaper.com/election2026

Live results: thearknewspaper.com/election2026/results

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The district’s first contested election since 2018 came amid renewed debate over whether Marin’s sanitary districts should consolidate. The board voted unanimously July 21 to reject all seven findings and nine recommendations in a Marin civil grand jury report that urged special districts to explore consolidation. District officials argued that the report failed to account for existing joint operations or the financial risks of merging.

The incumbents largely defended the district’s operations during preelection interviews with The Ark. Fitzgerald, a Tiburon Fire Protection District captain and the son of Ark contract bookkeeper Marion Fitzgerald and her husband, Jim, emphasized preparing for staff turnover and maintaining fiscal discipline. McIntosh, the board president and co-founder of environmental-sensor company EnviroSmarts, stressed keeping sewer-service charges low and maintaining regional partnerships.

Walravens, a financial analyst and former attorney, pointed to financial stewardship and support for maintenance and capital improvements. All three said they doubted consolidation would improve the district’s service or finances, and Mark Fitzgerald and Walravens left room to consider specific efficiencies.

Turnacliff, who owns Golden Gate Equipment Finance and chairs the Marin County Republican Central Committee, said he would bring experience in financing, equipment planning and financial oversight. He said he was open to studying consolidation if it made financial and operational sense.

The district serves northern Tiburon from Gilmartin Drive to Highway 101 and all of Strawberry. It collects wastewater and pumps it to Mill Valley for treatment through the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin.

Reach Belvedere, Strawberry and public-safety reporter Tyler Callister at 415-944-4627.