2 incumbents, 1 newcomer to run unopposed

As Benicians get caught up in who to vote for in the mayoral, city council, assembly, state senatorial, congressional, senatorial and presidential races, they will have one less election to worry about: the Benicia Unified School District’s governing board.

As board President Gary Wing announced at Thursday’s school board meeting, “We don’t have to have an election this year.”

Three candidates are on the ballot in 2016, all of whom will be running unopposed. Incumbent trustees Wing and Stacy Holguin will be running on the four-year rotation, and social worker Celeste Monnette will be running on the two-year rotation. After Holguin was appointed in January to succeed Rosie Switzer, who had died in November, she was placed on the two-year rotation to fill out the remainder of Switzer’s term, after which she would be put on the four-year rotation if she would have won in 2016. Instead, Holguin opted to run on the four-year rotation, succeeding Trustee Andre Stewart who did not file papers to run again.

If a candidate runs unopposed, voters have the option of either voting for them or skipping that portion of the ballot. They can also choose to write in the name of the candidate they’d like to see serve.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Wing remarked at the meeting that Monnette would be sworn in at the Dec. 15 school board meeting.

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