ELECTIONS / BOARD OF SUPERVISORS : 6 Take Out Nominating Papers, Making November Runoff Likely

Six people have taken out papers to run for the Ventura County Board of Supervisors seat being vacated by Maria VanderKolk, setting the stage for a hotly contested race that could force a runoff between the two leading candidates.

Even if only three or four candidates compete in the June election, it would probably force a runoff between the two top vote getters in the November general election, said Bruce Bradley, the county’s chief election official.

“It would be a foregone conclusion,” Bradley said. “Anytime there is three or more candidates in the race, it’s hard for one to get 50% of the vote. And in this race you have some very well-known, very viable candidates.”

But Bradley cautioned that it is very early in the campaign and that those who have taken out nomination papers still have the option of not entering the race. The candidates have until March 11 to file the forms, which require 2,582 signatures from registered voters or a filing fee of $645.

Bradley said some of those who have pulled papers may simply be testing the waters to see if they have a real shot at the supervisorial seat representing the Conejo Valley and Port Hueneme. VanderKolk announced in December that she would not seek a second term.

The six candidates who have taken out nomination papers are Thousand Oaks Councilman Frank Schillo, former Ventura County Supervisor Madge L. Schaefer, taxpayer advocate H. Jere Robings, Corrections Officer David Goodman and Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council members Ron Stark and J. Paul Fredericks. Dennis Gillette, vice president of administration at Cal Lutheran University, had picked up nomination papers but has decided not to enter the race, he said Tuesday.

Schillo said he does not expect all of those who pulled nomination papers to stay in the race. And even if they do, he said, “I’m not going to worry” about getting in a runoff.

Still, Schillo and Robings said a runoff would mean a costlier campaign. In order to win, both said a candidate would have to raise about $100,000, and they were each capable of doing so.

Schaefer, Stark and Fredericks were unavailable for immediate comment.

Goodman, a resident of Port Hueneme making his first bid for public office, said that the crowded field of candidates only boosted his long-shot chances at the supervisor’s seat.

“The more people who run, the better it is for me,” he said. “The vote is going to be split.”

Still, Goodman said he may drop out of the race if his issues are being addressed by one of the other candidates. He said his main concern is that Port Hueneme is not adequately represented, and that more attention is paid to the wealthy Conejo Valley.

“There’s a lack of representation for Port Hueneme,” he said. “It’s not an equitable situation.” Goodman said he would probably make a decision about his candidacy in the next two weeks.

Robings and Schillo said that they were not surprised at the large number of candidates.

“I think it’s pretty common when you have an open seat to have quite a few candidates,” Robings said. He was the first to announce his candidacy in November and this week opened a campaign office in Thousand Oaks. “But there are two or three candidates that I don’t think are serious about it. I think some of them will drop out.”

Schillo had hoped to win the support of Stark and Fredericks. He said he recently talked to them about his candidacy, and Stark had said publicly that he was considering throwing his support to Schillo.

“But after I talked with them, I found out that they had pulled papers,” Schillo joked. “So I’m not going to talk to anyone else about my candidacy.”

So far, only Simi Valley City Councilwoman Barbara Williamson has pulled papers to run for the 4th District supervisorial seat, which is now held by Supervisor Vicky Howard. Howard has said she will seek reelection.