Davis has a City Council election this fall — sort of. There is a city election in November, with two seats open on the five-person council, but with just one candidate for each seat, the winners are already decided.
Uncontested elections are also occurring in other districts, in Yolo County and beyond. Why is this happening, does it affect governance, and what does it mean, if anything, to the candidates who take office when no one is running against them?
We talk about this today on Davisville with the two people who, barring something unexpected, will start 4-year terms on the Davis council in December after running uncontested this fall: Gloria Partida, current vice mayor, former mayor and council member since 2018, who will start her third term on the council; and Judy Ennis, who will be the district 1 council member, and is new to the council. General approval of the candidates who ran might be a factor. So might Davis' switch to district elections, and the anger aimed at public figures. There are probably other reasons too.
Whatever the causes, the outcome is that starting in December, Linda Deos will be the only Davis City Council member who faced an opponent in her latest election. She won a three-person race two years ago.
