Tom McClintock and Jessica Morse go head-to-head in 4th Congressional District election

   One day.

  That’s what’s left until this year’s critical mid-term elections, for races ranging from local school board representatives to a fight for a Congressional district with national implications.

  In Placer County, there are a lot of tight races.

United States Representative

  A close and heated race for California’s Fourth Congressional District features the incumbent  congressman Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove) and Democratic competitor Jessica Morse.

 McClintock has been in Congress  since he was elected in 2008 and took office in 2009. He’s been re-elected four times without facing any major competition, but this year he’s facing a stiffer challenge.

  Jessica Morse is a local who has deep roots in Northern California.

  “Jessica’s main message is community first,” said Rachel Croopnick, a spokesperson for Morse. “She’s a fifth-generation Northern Californian – her family still owns a homestead in the district, and she just wants everyone to know that it is possible to have a member of Congress that is going to listen to you and fight for you and a lot of the things she stands for is just quality of life.”

  McClintock did not respond to multiple attempts by the Gazette to speak to him or to one of his representatives.

Eureka Union School District  Board Member

  The Eureka Union School District race for school board features multiple candidates vying for the opportunity to make important decisions in the education system for our local community. Four candidates are pursuing three open seats.

  Andy Sheehy is running for re-election and is competing against Jeffrey Conklin, Melissa F. MacDonald and William Bowen.

  Sheehy is running for his third term since he was first elected in 2010.

   He previously was a government and economics teacher in the Bay Area, where he worked on political campaigns as well.

 “I ran for the School Board because I had that background as a teacher and thought that I had some points of view that could be beneficial to the district at the time and had kids that were going into the district, (so I) had a stake in the game,” Sheehy said. “I thought if I have the attributes to make a good school board member and if I don’t put myself out there and allow myself the time in order to do that, then shame on me.”

  Conklin is a nonprofit healthcare executive who wants to be part of the education system that has helped educate his children.

  “If you think about Granite Bay as opposed to Roseville there is no organized leadership in Granite Bay, there isn’t a mayor or city council, it’s part of Placer County, the only elected leadership is the school board,” Conklin said, “My kids have had a strong education through Eureka (Union School District) and Roseville  (Joint Union School District), and I want to see that education improve.”

  MacDonald is an educational consultant, and a parent as well.

  She says she wants to make sure students are prepared and able to think creatively in a technology-filled world.

  Bowen has had all four of his children attend local schools and says he wants to continue the level of excellent education his children have received.

California State Assembly

  Vying for a place in the California State Assembly, Granite Bay High School alum Kevin Kiley is running for re-election against Jackie Smith.  

  Incumbent Kiley was first elected in 2016 to be the Assemblyman for District 6 and is currently running for his first re-election.

  He graduated from GBHS in the fifth graduating class.

  In his first term, he worked to create more opportunities for underserved students and prevent double taxation.

  Smith is a small-business owner who says she will bring her 30 years of experience in the business world to the Assembly.

  She says she wants to create thriving communities throughout the district.

Placer County Office of Education Board of Trustees

  Another race related to education involves three competitors who are running for two seats on the Placer County Office of Education Board of Trustees..

  Returning representative Robert Tomasini is competing against retired state employee Rene Aguilera and Placer County Office of Education board member  Suzanne Jones, who is running for re-election.

  Tomasini said he wants to reach out to voters and help represent their interests on the board.  

  He was a teacher and principal as well as serving as the RJUHSD superintendent before retiring.

  Aguilera, a former RJUHSD school board member, attended local schools and graduated from the University of California at Davis.

  He founded and has directed a Youth Leadership Conference for almost two decades.

  Aguilera said he wants to improve students’ readiness for college and help support educators and equality.

  Jones was a trustee for the school board for the past eight years.

  She says she wants to insure that our graduated students are ready and prepared for college.