McGuire picks up endorsements in Supes race

By BLEYS W. ROSE

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Healdsburg City Councilman Mike McGuire won three key endorsements Thursday in his bid for north county supervisor, gaining support from the county’s most influential business group, as well as from two conservatives who had considered running for the post.

McGuire was endorsed by the Sonoma County Alliance, by its executive director Lisa Whittke Schaffner and by Windsor vice-mayor Steve Allen.
Shortly after Supervisor Paul Kelley announced he would not seek a fifth term, Schaffner and Allen had said they were considering running for the seat to keep a conservative voice on an increasingly liberal Board of Supervisors.
McGuire has raised $111,000 for the campaign while his main opponent, Windsor councilwoman Debora Fudge, has raised $65,000, according to campaign finance reports filed Monday. Fudge came within 242 votes of unseating Kelley in the 2006 election for the seat.
Schaffner, favored by Kelley supporters for the post, said said she is supporting McGuire because “he is an innovative leader who has the know-how to build a sustainable economy and job base while protecting our environment.”
McGuire’s campaign manager, Jason Liles, said, “it’s becoming clear that Mike is the consensus candidate and is gaining momentum every week.”
Fudge, however, countered that her endorsements come from regional and influential leaders such as Rep. Lynn Woolsey, state Sen. Pat Wiggins, Assembly members Noreen Evans and Jared Huffman, County Sheriff Bill Cogbill and Supervisor Shirlee Zane.
“My broad coalition of supporters know I have the experience Sonoma County can count on to provide our residents with a stronger economy, better jobs, and a more sustainable future,” she said.
With a deadline for filing of March 17, the race so far has attracted McGuire, Fudge and Chris Frye, a Windsor resident who owns an alternative energy firm. If no candidate secures a majority of votes cast in the June 8 election, there will be a November run-off between the two top vote getters.