Repost from the Vallejo Times-Herald
[NOTE: The Progressive Democrats of Benicia have not yet endorsed any candidate for the November election.  Posting of this article does not constitute endorsement.]

Six pull papers on first day of candidacy period

By John Glidden, 07/16/18, 6:15 PM PDT

The first day of the fall election period opened up on Monday with possibly the surprise of the year as local realtor Ryan Messano pulled candidacy papers for the Vallejo school board, according to the Solano County Registrar of Voters website.

The self-proclaimed foe of pornography has been active in recent months, speaking out at school board and Vallejo City Council meetings about his perceived dangers of pornography on youth and society.

Messano in April was removed from a City Council meeting after making homophobic remarks regarding Brenda Crawford — who is an African-American and openly gay.

Crawford was scheduled to be appointed by the council as the city’s new representative to the Senior Coalition of Solano County.

“We now have a nest of homosexuals infesting our city right now — who have absolutely no business getting involved in our politics,” Messano said during the meeting.

Three of the five seats are open on the Vallejo City Unified School District Board of Education this November. The incumbents include Board President Burky Worel, and trustees Tony Ubalde and Ruscal Cayangyang.

Two City Council incumbents — Vice Mayor Katy Miessner, and Councilwoman Pippin Dew Costa — wasted no time as both pulled candidacy paperwork Monday, according to the Vallejo City Clerk’s Office.

Just like the school board, three seats are open this fall.

Dew-Costa and Miessner are each seeking a second term on the council after being elected to the seven-person body in 2013.

Vincent May also pulled candidacy papers on Monday as well, the clerk’s office said.

Vallejo City Council candidacy paperwork can be obtained from Vallejo City Clerk Dawn G. Abrahamson at the City Clerk’s Office, 555 Santa Clara St.

Abrahamson can be reached at (707) 648-4528 and/or at [email protected].

Dana Dean pulled papers on first day of nomination period as she seeks re-election to the Solano County Board of Education.

Dean represents Trustee Area 3, which includes the city of Benicia, a portion of East Vallejo, sections of South and East Fairfield, the city of Cordelia, Collinsville, and Travis Air Force Base.

She was first appointed to the board in March 2013 and then ran uncontested for the same seat in 2014. Prior to joining the county, Dean served on the Benicia school board for five years.

Former Solano Community College math professor A. Marie Young also pulled papers as she seeks a fourth term on the college’s governing board.

Young represents Area 2 which includes all of all of Vallejo located east of Interstate 80.

Nomination paperwork for all other contests can be found at the Solano County Registrar of Voters, 675 Texas St. Suite 2600, Fairfield, Calif. 94533.

For more information, call (707) 784-6675 or email [email protected].

The filing deadline is Aug. 10. Should an incumbent fail to file papers, the nomination period will be extended for five days up to Aug. 15 so non-incumbents have an extra opportunity to file.

The election is Nov. 6