MENDOCINO Co., 12/31/19 — Campaign season is upon us, and somewhat earlier than usual. A couple years ago California made the decision to move our primary up to March 3 meaning that our primary campaign season is now a mid-winter affair and the candidates have already begun to send out their announcements and make statements, which we are very happy to run. (Read our other 2020 election coverage here.)
If you are running for supervisor, city council or other prominent local office, please send your campaign announcement and any statement you have about your policy positions to [email protected]. We will also be conducting live-streamed interviews with the supervisorial candidates in the coming months, as we have in the past, so look out for that.
And if you don’t know what supervisorial district you’re in, here’s a handy zoomable map we created at mendomaps.com
What follows is the announcement sent out by Joel Soinila who is running in the 2nd District. For many years that seat has been held by Supervisor John McCowen, but he is not seeking re-election this year, and so the race is wide open.
Joel Soinila’s Statement
I’m Joel Veikko Soinila and I’m running for Second District Supervisor in Mendocino County. Raised in Redwood Valley, I have been a resident of Mendocino County for the past 30 years. My family’s roots in the county date back over a century. My grandfather Veikko Soinila opened a business in Redwood Valley that has been family owned and operated for 70 years. I attended Ukiah High School and graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo receiving a BS in Agricultural Business. After spending a decade as a financial analyst, productivity engineer, program manager (Ukiah Valley Street Medicine) and property manager, I am now the owner of an Independent Real Estate Brokerage and partner in a real estate investment group.
I want to assist Mendocino County’s second district, and the county as a whole, in achieving forward thinking with result-based accountability. I would like to aid in bringing financial transparency at the county level to the community. I do not believe the tax payer dollars and county funding are being spent on smart growth. Too often decisions are reactive and rarely proactive. By being progressive and forward thinking, we can ensure we see the changes needed to have a healthy vibrant community now and in the future.
The vote takes place March 3rd, 2020. If one candidate does not receive 50% +1 vote in March, it will result in a runoff between the top two candidates. I am determined to win this in March, but am also a realist and understand this may very well go into a runoff with two candidates. Overall, the people have a choice this election so I have already achieved one of my goals.
You can find me on Instagram and Facebook @joelforsupervisor or you can visit my website at joelforsupervisor.com. From this website you can learn about my platform, join my mailing list for campaign updates, sign up to publicly endorse me or donate. If you do not have access to the internet you can call with any questions, concerns or requests (707) 391-7403 during my business hours (7 days a week 7 am to 7 pm).
I have yard signs available for anyone who would like to show their support. They can go up January 3, 2020. If you would like one please contact me using one of the ways I have provided above. For those interested, there will be a candidate forum for the first and second districts on January 28, 2020 at 6pm in the Ukiah City Council Chambers (300 Seminary Ave. Ukiah, Ca 95482). This event is sponsored by The Ukiah Daily Journal, the American Association of University Women and the Mendocino Women’s Political Coalition.
It’s time for change!
