Topics touched on were L-24, affordable housing, and homelessness

ATASCADERO — Two at-large councilmember seats on the Atascadero City Council will be up for election on Nov. 5 this year. Constituents got a chance to hear from the three candidates running for those spots during the Atascadero City Council Candidate Forum on Monday, Oct. 7. The forum was held at 6:30 p.m. at the Atascadero United Methodist Church. It was moderated by the League of Women Voters of SLO County in partnership with the Atascadero branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Current Councilmembers Charles Bourbeau and Mark Dariz’s terms are ending this year, with Bourbeau running unopposed for mayor and Dariz running for reelection as an incumbent. Tori Keen (who participated remotely) from the Atascadero Planning Commission and Seth Peek, local business owner of Peek Realty and Peek Painting, are also running for the two open seats.

Each candidate had to answer 12 questions, ranging from their thoughts on adding more pickleball courts, affordable housing, homelessness, and L-24. L-24 is a continuation of F-14, which is a half-cent tax measure used for road maintenance. Marilee Hyman of the League of Women Voters moderated the forum.

The candidates were asked what three of their priorities were if they were elected to the City Council, and all three agreed that economic development was a priority. 

Hyman then asked the candidates, “Do you support L-24, the sales tax measure?”

“Yes, I absolutely support the sale tax measure,” stated Keen. “It’s actually a continuation of F-14, which was passedabout 10 years ago, and it will sunset, I believe, in the next couple of years if we don’t pass this extension.”

Peek also backed the measure and stated that in the 12 years since he moved to Atascadero, he’s seen the improvements on the roads firsthand the last few years since using the F-14 funds.

“Without that half-cent sales tax, that was critical to be able to get the roads taken care of the way we have,” Dariz said in support of the measure. “A lot of people don’t realize we have the largest miles of road in Atascadero than any other city in the county and we’re able to take care of those roads with the leanest budget of any city in the county.”

In their final remarks, all three candidates reminded those in attendance of why they wanted to serve on the council, whether it is for the first time or a consecutive term.

“I’ve served on the city government the last 14 years. Sixteen or so in community service through the Kiwanis Club,” Dariz said. “I love Atascadero. It’s one of the best moves; I’ve lived here longer than I’ve lived in any other place. I don’t see myself going anywhere. This is probably going to be my only move, my only place here. I want to continue my service on City Council. I think there’s a lot of things I want to see continue to be finished that I was part of in the beginning.”

“I’ve been here 15 years. I have two kids here who I plan on keeping here through high school and then finally get some peace and quiet around here, right?” stated Keen. “I really love this town. I love the small-town feel of it, and I’m running for City Council because I think that I can be an asset and I can be a voice for people who don’t feel like they’re being heard currently. I feel like I can be that person that everybody knows they can reach out to when they have an issue, and I’ll hear them and find out what I can for them.”

“Those that know me know that when I sink my teeth into something, I give it my all, and I don’t let go,” Peek said. “I have a real big heart for service. I mean, I do business in order to make money for myself, my wife, and our dogs, but I really wish I could just do philanthropy, charity, and run service projects. This is what I really love to do, and oftentimes, I have to cut back on business opportunities someday because I get so excited that I get to go to Rotary. I like it. Being of service is something that I’m born for, and I think it really reflects in how I treat people and the fair shake that everybody gets when they deal with me.”

The forum was also live-streamed via the AAUW YouTube channel and can be found at youtube.com/watch?v=F2sGOfY2KbE&t=1594s