Hollister
– Incumbent Reb Monaco widened his lead over challenger Tracie
Cone in the race for the District 4 seat on the San Benito County
Board of Supervisors Monday after elections officials tallied
hundreds of additional votes.
Hollister – Incumbent Reb Monaco widened his lead over challenger Tracie Cone in the race for the District 4 seat on the San Benito County Board of Supervisors Monday after elections officials tallied hundreds of additional votes.
Monaco had 1,895 votes, 81 more than Cone, as of press time on Monday. San Benito County Registrar John Hodges said Monaco was the “unofficial” winner.
“All races are unofficial at this point; we still have provisional ballots to process,” Hodges said. “But 81 votes is not in the provisionals.”
Monaco said his phone had been ringing off the hook Monday as supporters called in to congratulate him. But Monaco said he was still awaiting the official declaration.
“I don’t know if it’s official, but the elections department called and said I won,” Monaco said.
Cone could not immediately be reached for comment after business hours on Monday.
Monaco said his top priorities on the Board of Supervisors will be updating the county’s general plan and putting the finishing touches on a resolution to establish a county-wide parks and recreation commission designed to develop and plan for the future of area parks. Monaco also plans to work with the Hollister City Council on its wastewater treatment project.
Monaco, running for his second term on the Board of Supervisors, outspent Cone 3-to-1 on the campaign trail, spending $10,188 compared to Cone’s $1,282, according to campaign finance records from October. Monaco ran on his record as a supervisor, including his work to establish a parks and recreation committee, among other things.
Cone, a respected journalist and former publisher of the Pinnacle newspaper in Hollister, focused on encouraging growth while preserving the character of the community during her campaign. She stood on her record as the owner of the Pinnacle, which included warning officials about the effect of rapid development on Hollister’s sewer system, among other things.
When Monaco faced Cone and County Clerk John Hodges in June, he received 36 percent of the vote, beating Cone’s 33 percent by 82 votes. Hodges was dropped from the race after the primary.
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 332 or br******@fr***********.com.
