SOUTH COUNTY – With the race for District 1 supervisor narrowed to two candidates, the question now is, how will the other four candidates in the primary potentially shape the race ahead?

Susanne La Faver and James Comstock were the top vote getters on June 3, leading a field of six candidates that also included Don Dornbush, Scott Fergusson, Joey Luiz and Robert MacIntyre.

Some of the retired field of candidates indicated a willingness to stay involved in the current race.

Luiz told Lake County News he'll stay active by endorsing La Faver's candidacy and working on her campaign.

“We've gotten to know each other well through the last few months,” he said, adding that her “heart and thoughts and cares are in the right place.”

MacIntyre said he's still deciding whether or not he'll endorse either of the two candidates in the runoff.

He said he's seeking guidance from his supporters, but has so far heard advice both to endorse and not to endorse.

“I'm going to leave it to the folks who have supported me,” he said.

Dornbush said he won't take a public position in the campaign ahead due to his position as president of the Hidden Valley Lake Association.

He said he called to congratulate both Comstock and La Faver and offered them both help and information.

While he said both of the leading candidates have viewpoints that differ from his, he said he also agrees with them on some things.

Fergusson, like Dornbush, is going to keep his opinions on the race private. “I'm not going to endorse either one of them because I had people on both sides on my side,” he said.

As a businessman, he said endorsing one of the candidates openly might negatively impact his business.

With only a 27-percent turnout in District 1 – a little less than half of the turnout seen in the February Super Tuesday primary – the June turnout was tough for the field.

Dornbush, MacIntyre and Fergusson all said they were disappointed with turnout – with MacIntyre calling it “deplorable,” and likely a result of “national campaign fatigue” brought on by the lengthy battle for the presidency.

Despite low turnout, Dornbush pointed out that La Faver and Comstock got their voters to take action. “That's the key in these things.”

The low voter number could improve in November, when the race between La Faver and Comstock will be decided at the same time as the presidential election.

The four candidates whose races ended last week all indicated the willingness to consider runs for local elected office in the future, all of them saving at least some of their signs for possible campaigns.

Luiz said if Comstock were to win, he might challenge him in four years. He promised to stay involved in the community regardless of whether he seeks office again.

MacIntyre said another run is still to be determined, adding that he believes he may be able to be more effective as a private citizen than as a member of the Board of Supervisors.

Fergusson said he'll bide his time deciding to run again, but he said he felt the campaign was a constructive experience for him.

That was a sentiment shared by MacIntyre.

“It was an incredibly positive experience. I learned so much,” he said. “Regardless of whether or not I campaign again, I'm a better person overall.”

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

{mos_sb_discuss:3}