San Anselmo Council Race: Will it Be Contested?

There will be four San Anselmo Town Council seats on the November ballot, but right now the race is shaping up to be a bit of a sleeper.

Voters will decide who will fill the 4-year term seats occupied by Mayor Kay Coleman, Vice Mayor Jeff Kroot and Councilman Tom McInerney.

Also on the ballot for a two-year term will be the seat of Councilwoman Liz Dahlgren, who the council picked on April 23 to replace Councilwoman Lori Lopin. Lopin resigned in February for family and health issues.

Fairfax will also have four of five council seats on the ballot this November. Make sure you’re signed up for the daily Patch newsletter so you don’t miss our report about who has pulled papers for the Fairfax race. 

The first day candidates could pull papers was July 15. Since, four people have taken out nomination papers for the San Anselmo council:

Councilman Tom McInerney

McInerney, a San Francisco attorney, was elected to the council in 2009. He serves on the town’s flood committee and has previous experience serving on the San Anselmo Parks and Recreation Commission, St. Anselmo School Advisory Board and the Flood Mitigation League of the Ross Valley. You can read more about his experience in town here on the town of San Anselmo website.

Mayor Kay Coleman

Coleman, a teacher-by-trade who was elected to council in 2009, worked as San Anselmo’s community resources director for more than 10 years. You can read more about her here at the San Anselmo town website and here in a “weekend routine” profile Patch did on her in June 2012. 

Doug Kelly

Kelly took out papers for a two-year term on council and is therefore apparently eyeing the seat occupied by Dahlgren. Kelly is a local business owner who has been on the town’s Park and Recreation Committee for nearly eight years, elected chair three times. The 17-year San Anselmo resident has coached West Marin Little League and San Anselmo baseball for seven years and volunteered to help town's “Yes on Measure A committee.”

John Wright

Wright has served on the Tam Union High School district board since 2001 and is currently the president. He was a board member of the Ross Valley School District from 1994 to 1999. He has lived in San Anselmo for 23 years, is married to Ruth Kiskaddon Wright and has three sons. A media release announcing Wright’s candidacy said Marin County Supervisor Katie Rice and Lopin have endorsed Wright’s campaign for council.

In May, Kroot told Patch he was undecided about running in November.

What issues do you think will come to the forefront during the San Anselmo Town Council race? Tell us in the Comments!