- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Candidates leading in local races share plans for upcoming terms
The official canvass isn’t expected to be completed for another month, however, the preliminary results released on election night indicated that the margins were wide enough in four races — assessor-recorder, district attorney, treasurer-tax collector and the Middletown Unified School District Board — that the final count is unlikely to change the outcomes.
The early count showed that incumbent Assessor-Recorder Richard Ford won a third term with 65.7% of the vote, compared to 34.2% for challenger Hannah Faith Lee.
Ford thanked Lake County and his staff for their support.
“For the next term, we intend to finish what we started, that being to finish the backlog and improve technically,” he said.
In a Thursday letter to the editor, Lee wished Ford well. “I did my best and I hope, in some small way, the path for better communication, improved services, transparency and especially for meaningful change in the Assessor-Recorder’s Office has been widened,” Lee said.
District Attorney Susan Krones appears headed for a second term based on the preliminary numbers, which showed her with 61.1% compared to the 38.8% of the vote for her challenger and former county supervisor, Anthony Farrington.
In a Wednesday post on his campaign Facebook page, Farrington said that even more disappointing than losing was what he claimed was a historic low voter turnout of 11%. However, it should be noted that the overall voter turnout is anticipated to increase once additional ballots mailed by Election Day are received and counted at the Registrar of Voters Office.
Farrington congratulated Krones and wished her the best of luck moving forward.
Krones told Lake County News that she thanks Lake County’s voters for their continued faith and trust in her.
“I am so honored and humbled. During the campaign I had a chance to talk to many people in the community. I listened to the issues that people are concerned about and I will continue to listen to these concerns. I appreciated the input I received at Town hall and community meetings and I intend to continue going to those meetings,” Krones said.
She said her goals for the future are to renew efforts to develop a mental health court in Lake County. “This will take the courts, other county departments, the Board of Supervisors, our state representatives and community organizations to make this happen. I firmly believe that mental health court will make our community safer.”
Krones said she also will continue to work with law enforcement to protect the most vulnerable in Lake County. “I will continue to prosecute criminals who commit offenses against our children, the elderly and defenseless animals to the fullest extent of the law. Thank you, Lake County, for your support during this election.”
In the treasurer-tax collector’s race, the preliminary count shows that Patrick Sullivan, the county’s tax administrator, is on track to succeed retiring incumbent Barbara Ringen.
Sullivan received 58.8% of the vote compared to 41.1% for Paul Flores, a treasury and cash analyst.
“I am grateful for the support of the voters in this election. I look forward to working with Barbara Ringen and the staff in the Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office to ensure a smooth transition,” Sullivan said.
In the race to fill the remaining months of an unexpired term on the Middletown Unified School District Board, Charise Reynolds led the preliminary count with 59.1% of the vote compared to Bryan Pullman’s 40.8%.
Reynolds said she plans to meet with the district superintendent next week. “ I’d like to start doing site visits to get to know the staff in the district better. I also plan on doing a lot of reading and a lot of listening.”
The seat will be back on the ballot for November. In the meantime, Reynolds will set her sights on her official responsibilities as a board member.
“And, I need to spend some quality time with my family, as well. They’ve been very patient these past few months, but it’s time to focus on them for a bit before thinking about November,” Reynolds said.
She thanked her campaign team for its support. “I absolutely could not have won this race without the tireless dedication of everyone who volunteered to work on my campaign. It was a group effort in every sense of the word.”
In other races, state Sen. Mike McGuire won in the primary election with a large lead over Republican challenger Gene Yoon and will continue on to the November election.
“I am so incredibly grateful to work with the amazing people of Northern California. It’s an honor of a lifetime,” he said.
“We’ve been through a lot together over the last few years — devastating wildfires, extreme drought and the global pandemic. And no matter what has been thrown at us, we never gave up. We never gave in. We never quit fighting for Northern California,” McGuire said.
In the race for the newly drawn Fourth Congressional District, Rep. Mike Thompson topped the field, with the top two vote-getters to race in November’s general election.
“The outpouring of support I received last night is humbling. I was born, grew up, and still live in our district and I consider it the honor of my life to represent our beautiful region in Congress,” Thompson said on Wednesday.
“We are moving into the general election now and I will continue to work every day with local, state, and federal leaders on the pressing challenges facing the people of our district and our country. This includes advocating for policies that bolster the middle class, lower the cost of housing and health care, address our climate crisis, and help keep our communities safe,” he said.
Thompson added, “We live in the greatest district in the greatest country and I am committed to do all I can to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to achieve their dream of a well-paying job, affordable health care, a clean environment, quality education, and dignity in retirement. We are in this together and I will continue to work hard for our district in Congress.”
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