Politics & Government

Solano County Supervisor Races Yield Mix Results, Library Measure Sails to Victory

Solano County Election 2012 wrap-up

By Bay City News Service

Three supervisorial races in Solano County on Tuesday ended with one incumbent being re-elected, another being ousted, and a third race heading to a runoff, according to unofficial results.

District 2 incumbent Linda Seifert garnered 66 percent of the vote, easily beating her challenger, former Benicia mayor and current Benicia Unified School District board member Steve Messina.

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Seifert began her current term representing District 2 -- which includes Benicia, Cordelia, Green Valley and portions of Vallejo -- in January 2009 after being elected the previous June.

In District 5, incumbent Mike Reagan appears to have been defeated by former county supervisor Skip Thomson, who garnered 56 percent of the vote, according to preliminary tallies.

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Reagan has served on the board since 2005, representing an area that encompasses more than 300 square miles of eastern Solano County, including Rio Vista, Travis Air Force Base, eastern portions of Vacaville and Suisun City, and the northeastern portion of Fairfield.

The District 1 race to fill the seat now held by Barbara Kondylis will head to a runoff election, with no candidate winning at least half the
vote.

Five candidates were vying for Kondylis' job in a race that included former Vallejo mayor Tony Intintoli; current Vallejo City Councilwoman Erin Hannigan; former county supervisor Lee Sturn Simmons; community activist Katy Miessner; and businesswoman Susan B. Anthony.

Preliminary results from Tuesday's election showed Intintoli and Hannigan leading the pack, with 29 and 27 percent of the vote, respectively, and Miessner not far behind with 25 percent.

The top two vote-getters will compete for the open seat in November. Miessner has the support of Kondylis, who has held the seat since 1992.

Solano County voters also gave sweeping approval to a sales tax measure to support libraries.

Measure L, which extends an existing tax, needed two-thirds approval to pass and received 80 percent support from voters, according to unofficial results.

The eighth-cent sales tax, which was originally approved by 68 percent of voters in 1998 as Measure B, has enabled libraries to restore hours, purchase more books and materials -- such as CDs, DVDs and magazines and newspapers -- and increase children's programs, according to proponents of Measure L.

The sales tax revenue can only be used for public library operations, programs and acquisitions.

The countywide measure will extend the tax for another 16 years and will take effect Oct. 1, 2014, immediately after Measure B expires.

Although the current sales tax does not expire for another two years, the measure was put before voters now because otherwise, libraries would have to pay the cost of a special election in 2013, as there are no countywide elections next year.

In 2010, the sales tax generated more than $6 million for libraries in the county.


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