2016 election: Citrus Heights city council race begins to take shape

Updated Aug. 24, 5:05 p.m.–
With the Aug. 17 filing deadline now passed, a total of eight Citrus Heights residents have qualified to run for one of two city council seats up for election this November.

Names confirmed for the November ballot include current Vice Mayor Jeff Slowey, Planning Commissioner Rick Doyle, former councilman Bret Daniels, and Construction Board of Appeals Member Amor Taylor. The former vice president of the Residents’ Empowerment Association of Citrus Heights, Tim Schaefer, will also appear on the ballot, along with Porsche Middleton, Michael Nishimura, and Marcel Weiland.

The candidates will face off in the Nov. 8 election, with the top two earning four-year seats on the five-member city council. Based on past elections, candidates will likely need to receive 8-10,000 votes in order to win.

Only five of the eight candidates chose to pay the optional $700 cost to include a 200-word candidate statement in the November election sample ballot, which is direct-mailed to each voter.

Vice Mayor Slowey, 55, will be the only incumbent listed on the ballot, as current councilwoman Sue Frost gave up her seat in order to run for Sacramento County Supervisor this year. Slowey works as a vice president for Bank of America and was appointed to the city council in 2003. He won subsequent elections in 2004, 2008, and 2012.

Bret Daniels, 56, is a former Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputy and current president of “Our Fallen,” a local nonprofit that works to help families of fallen officers. Daniels previously served on the Citrus Heights city council from 1999 until he resigned in 2005, citing personal and family reasons.

Marcel Weiland, 25, grew up in Citrus Heights, worked in the state capitol, and earned a degree in political science from Santa Clara University. He currently works as director of institutional alliances at Riskalyze, a financial tech company based in Auburn.

Tim Schaefer, 55, is a sales engineer with Ellison Technologies and has also served in various leadership positions in local neighborhood associations. In 2014, he spearheaded a “Save City Hall” effort to oppose the plan to tear down and move the old city hall.

Rick Doyle, 72, is a retired Farmers insurance agent and currently serves on the City’s planning commission. More than a year out from the election, he was the first to officially file his intention to run for city council and has earned the endorsement of a majority of current council members, including Mayor Jeannie Bruins.

Porsche Middleton, 32, told The Sentinel she recently moved to Citrus Heights from Alabama with her husband and children. Although she did not file a candidate statement, Middleton told The Sentinel she is currently a project manager at “A Project Ahead,” an engineering consulting company based in the Sacramento area.

Amor Taylor, 51, was appointed to serve on the City’s five-member Construction Board of Appeals in 2013. She also did not file a candidate statement, but told The Sentinel she previously served for eight years as director of public policy services for the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers and plans to own and operate a Menchie’s frozen yogurt franchise in Citrus Heights, slated to open next year.

Michael Nishimura, 53, is the general manager of the Elephant Bar restaurant in Citrus Heights. Although he did not file a candidate statement, Nishimura told The Sentinel via email Saturday that he also serves on the board of directors for the Sunrise Marketplace and an advisory committee for the Culinary Academy at San Juan High School.

*Note: The Sentinel will begin publishing a series of in-depth profiles on each of the eight candidates next week. Find out more about the candidates and get all The Sentinel’s local stories delivered to your inbox each Sunday: subscribe to our free Weekend Edition.