With the filing period for candidates set to close Aug. 10, voters likely will have choices in all of the races for Hollister City Council and San Benito County Board of Supervisors.
As of July 31, several candidates had filed to run for mayor and City Council, with all awaiting certification by the county elections office, primarily to determine citizenship and their legal address. In San Benito County, the top four candidates from the June primaries are facing off, and all were verified as qualified prior to the primary vote.
The Hollister City Council has three open four-year seats up for grabs in Districts 2, 3 and 4, plus the two-year term for mayor.
In District 2, incumbent Mickie Solorio Luna and contender Rolan Resendiz have filed to run for the council seat.
There are three potential candidates in District 3: Raul Escareno, Kenneth Johnson and Honor Spencer. Incumbent Council member Karsen Klauer, elected in 2014, had not yet filed for re-election as of July 31.
Marty Richman and Leila Sadeghian are the potential candidates for District 4. Richman previously ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Hollister in 2012. The District 4 incumbent, Jim Gillio, is a candidate for county supervisor. He was appointed to the City Council in 2017.
In the mayoral race there are currently three potential candidates; Gordon Machado, Zavan Quezado and Keith Snow. Snow has previously run for mayor in 2012, 2014 and 2016. Mayor Ignacio Velazquez, who told the Freelance he would be seeking re-election to a third two-year term, said he plans to file in the coming days.
In the race for San Benito County Board of Supervisors in District 3 are Patricia Loe and Peter D. Hernandez Jr. Loe served as board chairwoman in 2006. Hernandez Jr. currently serves as a Hollister school board trustee.
In the District 4 race, incumbent Jerry Muenzer is running against Jim Gillio, current Hollister City Council member for District 4. Gillio also serves on the board of directors on the San Benito Council of Governments.
The last day to file to run for elected office in Hollister or San Benito is Aug. 10. If an incumbent doesn’t file, the deadline is extended five days and the incumbent cannot run.
