Johanna's hat in the ring

Johanna Rodoni vows to run for 2nd District seat in November
Johanna Rodoni confirmed Thursday that she will run in the upcoming General Election to hold on to the 2nd District Supervisor seat she was appointed to fill after her husband Roger Rodoni’s death.

“I am hoping to be on the ballot in November,” Johanna said.

But whether or not voters in Fortuna and areas south will see her name next to candidates Clif Clendenen and Estelle Fennell on the ballot hinges on a legal opinion being considered by California’s Legislative Council, which is expected any day.

Either way, Johanna will run as a write-in candidate — a decision she said she made last week.

TS Rodoni pursuing write-in campaign
The local elections office, an elections law expert contacted by the Times-Standard and the Secretary of State's office have all said there is no legal reason in the state Elections Code that bars Johanna Rodoni from running as a write-in candidate.

The new question is: Can her name be printed on the ballot?...

Attorney Fred Woocher, an elections expert who has litigated election cases up and down California, said he doesn't see any legal issues coming up that would prevent Johanna Rodoni from running as a write-in candidate. But, he also said he doesn't see a legal basis for her name appearing on the ballot.

”I don't see any theory under which she can get her name on the ballot, but stranger things have happened,” Woocher said.
Johanna Rodoni said her decision to seek the seat doesn't hinge on a favorable opinion from the Legislative Counsel and the chance to have her name on the ballot, but that “would be wonderful.”...

☛ TS The wringer of write-ins

☛ TS Let Rodoni run, and peaceably 7/24/08
Amen.
TS Editorial: Whether you agree with the politics of Supervisor Johanna Rodoni, or even those of her late husband Roger, you have to give her great credit for stepping up in a time of personal crisis to serve the constituents in the 2nd District.

She has persevered in the face of overwhelmingly personal tragedy to give her time and effort to representing the 2nd District at least until January.

She championed her dead husband's name in the recent primary election, and Roger Rodoni -- despite his untimely death in an unfortunate car crash -- managed to be the top vote-getter in the district, followed by Clif Clendenen and then Estelle Fennell.

Voters knew that a vote for Roger was likely a vote for Johanna, who had already been appointed by the governor to fill out the last of Roger's term. But since Johanna was not on the primary ballot, and since Roger failed to achieve more than 50 percent of the vote, neither name will be printed on the ballot in November.

The voters will be faced with a choice between Fennell, a former journalist, and Clendenen, a Fortuna businessman. Since both of these candidates are perceived to be coming from left of center, this election appears to leave a large number of conservative voters in the 2nd District without a first choice.

Rodoni, as is clearly allowed by state election law, has since decided to mount a write-in candidacy for the seat. Looking at the numbers, this decision appears to make sense. While running as a write-in candidate always carries with it great risk, it appears that neither Fennell nor Clendenen are the first choice for many 2nd District voters. Legally, there's nothing to preclude her from running, and with a political vacuum left to be filled, it makes perfect sense for Johanna to run.

But beyond that, she deserves a shot.

As mentioned above, she's already lost a husband to public service. In the midst of that loss, she's volunteered to finish out his term. The work she's done so far in that regard has been admirable, most visibly on the county's Code Enforcement Unit Task Force. She's a well-prepared and thoughtful member of the all the proceedings thus far, and that's a trend we can only expect will continue.

So as she prepares for the fall election campaign, let's stop the whining and complaining about circumstances and election laws that are beyond our control.

There will be three candidates for 2nd District supervisor, two printed on the ballot and one write-in -- and that's just fine with us. May the best candidate, and future representative of the 2nd District, win.