Edhat StaffThe Board of Directors of The Chamber of Commerce of the Santa Barbara Region has received reports from the Chamber’s Government Relations Committee on each of the offices that are up for election in the City of Santa Barbara in 2017. The Board has reviewed the tremendous amount of work that the committee has put into each race, including reviewing written questionnaires from the candidates, engaging the candidates in small group interviews, and researching the policy positions of each candidate.
Taking all of this information into account, the Board has approved endorsements in each of the races for City Council, and for the Mayor’s race. Over the course of this week, the Chamber will release these endorsements to our members. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ken Oplinger at the Chamber at ken@sbchamber.org, or call him at 965-3023.
Endorsement Announcement Schedule:
- 4th District City Council – Tuesday, August 29th
- 5th District City Council – Wednesday, August 30th
- 6th District City Council – Thursday, August 31st
- Mayor of Santa Barbara – Friday, September 1st
4th District City Council Seat
Santa Barbara’s 4th District is its largest, covering the northern portion of the City from East San Roque all the way through the Riviera to Coast Village Road.
The race has three strong candidates to choose from. First is Planning Commission chair and planning consultant Jay Higgins, a small business owner who works with Chamber members in a number of areas and is generally a strong business voice on the planning commission. The race also sees former Mayor of East Liverpool, Ohio and a local attorney, Jim Scafide, who has received the endorsement of the local Democratic Party, and Kristen Sneddon, a professor of Geology at City College, who has received the endorsement of Mayor Schneider, Councilmember Dominguez, and former Mayor and current planning commissioner Sheila Lodge.
In reviewing each candidate, we find three strong individuals who can each bring their unique skills and backgrounds to the Council. Each represents important constituencies and each has strong support.
But we believe that the business community will best be served by electing Jay Higgins to the seat. Jay has several years of practical experience right here in Santa Barbara, and is a supporter of the Chamber’s key agenda points. His vocal support for speeding up the widening of Highway 101 and finding appropriate ways to increase workforce housing in Santa Barbara are important, as are his efforts to streamline the permitting process in the City. We also believe his experience will allow him to build important coalitions within the Council to try and move the needle on other important issues, not the least of which is how to ensure a vibrant downtown for locals and visitors alike.
We look forward to working with Chairman Higgins in this new role representing the people of the 4th City Council District, and wish him the best as he campaigns door-to-door over the next few months.
