With the county’s primary election still seven months away,
local pundits and politicos are predicting that the entrance of a
second contender into the race for incumbent Pat Loe’s District 3
Board of Supervisors seat will insure that the contest ends in a
run-off election next November.
Hollister – With the county’s primary election still seven months away, local pundits and politicos are predicting that the entrance of a second contender into the race for incumbent Pat Loe’s District 3 Board of Supervisors seat will insure that the contest ends in a run-off election next November.
Hollister resident Ron Stubblefield, a retired UPS driver and member of the coffee klatch known as the San Benito County Militia, confirmed rumors Tuesday that he will seek to unseat Loe.
“Because I want to run,” was the reason Stubblefield gave, declining to further explain his reasons for pursuing the seat. Despite repeated requests for an interview, Stubblefield said that he would reveal his platform sometime after Thanksgiving.
In September, former Supervisor Richard Place, 64, who’s also known to share coffee and conversation at Militia gatherings, announced that he would also make a run for the District 3 seat. Loe, 59, who has been on the board since 2002, has said that she will seek to retain her seat.
A county-wide primary election will be held next June. If no candidate receives at least 50 percent plus one of the votes cast, thereby winning the seat, the two candidates who get the most votes will go on to the November general election.
Militia member and former Republican Party Central Committee Chairman Marvin Jones, who lives in District 3, said he’s keeping his fingers crossed that one of his coffee buddies will win Loe’s seat, but he isn’t ready to say whether he’ll vote for Place or Stubblefield.
“I think it’s quite interesting,” he said. “I hope one of them wins.”
Jones did speculate that, with both Place and Stubblefield in the race, a runoff might result. Loe will be one of the candidates in the run-off, he said.
“I think we’ll have a runoff,” he said. “It would be nice if it was between those two, but that’s not going to happen.”
Place agreed that the entrance of Stubblefield, who declined to give his age, in the race will split the vote and force a runoff. But he predicted that voters will ultimately seek a candidate with more experience – either he or Loe.
“I just think he (Stubblefield) doesn’t have the depth of experience that Pat (Loe) and I have,” he said.
Loe declined to comment on Stubblefield joining the race.
There is a real possibility of Place’s and Stubblefield’s affiliation with the Militia being used as a political weapon against them as they vie for the District 3 seat, Jones said.
“The ones that don’t like them will use it,” Jones said.
Over the summer, current chairwoman of the Republican Central Committee, Jennifer Zapata, unsuccessfully pursued a restraining order against Militia members, claiming that they used fear tactics and intimidation in a bid to take over the committee.
The District 4 Board of Supervisors seat is also up in next year’s election. Reb Monaco, 61, who has held the seat since 2002 said he will seek a second term. So far, he is unopposed.
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at [email protected]
