Special Municipal Election To Fill A Vacant City Council Seat In Buellton
Jarrod Zinn
BUELLTON, Calif. – A rare summer election is taking place on the Central Coast.
Some Buellton residents are voting to fill the District 4 seat on Buellton’s city council, which was left vacant last November when David Silva was elected mayor.
Retired California Highway Patrol officer Dave King served as Buellton’s mayor for two years.
In last November’s election, he was unseated by former District 4 council member David Silva, who had been serving as Vice Mayor.
“As much experience as I’ve had as a highway patrol officer being in government, my experience on city council, both as a council member and the mayor, is that I’m somebody that gets things done and I have done things for this community,” says Dave King.
Councilmembers could not come to an agreement on filling the seat, so voters will decide in an election that is being held by mail only.
King is running against the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society’s board chairperson, Carla Mead.
“I’ve done a lot of work in the community, like this communication board you’ll see behind me,” says Carla Mead. “One of the big goals that I have for this area is to keep improving accessibility and inclusivity and building out amenities for families.”
Local residents have already received their mail-in ballots, and the deadline to have them postmarked or dropped in a drop box is tomorrow by 8:00 p.m.
“My big concern for this community is public safety and traffic safety,” says King. “We have an issue with speeding on the 246. People treat it like it’s a freeway and we have a lot of kids and moms and families across the street to go to the elementary and the middle school.”
“I’m always interested in learning more about, how can we build this city for people with young families all the way through, our seniors,” says Mead.
Results will be tabulated and posted to the City of Buellton’s website Tuesday evening shortly after the ballot deadline.
Both candidates say that whether they win or lose this election, they are committed to working with constituents to improve the city for everyone.
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