Race for a spot on the Petaluma City Schools board, one of the quietest

There are two seats open on the Petaluma City Schools District Board of Education on Nov. 5. But in an otherwise rowdy election season, both local races are quiet, albeit for different reasons.

One, for Area 1, is not a race at all, with Ryan Williams running unopposed in the region that includes northeast Petaluma and part of Penngrove.

The other, for Area 4, pits incumbent Ellen Webster against Kimberly Ruiz Seitz, a political unknown running a nearly invisible campaign in the region west of Highway 101, roughly bounded by Bodega Avenue and part of D Street.

The best chance to see the Area 4 candidates side by side – a September 30 candidate forum organized by local chapters of the American Association of University Women and the League of Women Voters – was canceled after Ruiz Seitz said she would not attend. Requests for comment from Ruiz Seitz for this article were not returned.

As with the council race, this is the second time voters have chosen school board representatives from smaller regions of the district. Petaluma City Schools switched from an at-large system in 2022, dividing the district into five trust areas.

Webster, last elected in 2020, is currently serving her second term as an at-large board member.

“I feel like we have a very good board. We work very well together. We respect each other. “It feels like we’re in the middle of a lot of things: changing our clock schedule to a seven-hour day while we’re doing ethnic studies,” she said.

“I want to continue to ensure that we have equality and diversity in our schools and also in our curriculum. I think it is very important that children see themselves in the curriculum. … And I also think it is very important to give students and employees a voice, to hear them, to talk to them.”

Webster works at Sonoma State University and supervises student teachers in the diploma program, but before that she taught for 30 years at the Shoreline Unified School District as an English and drama teacher. Her children attended Petaluma City Schools and now two of her grandchildren are part of the district.

She said she wants better pay for teachers and underlined the importance of listening to everyone.

“I also want to ensure that our schools are safe and welcoming for everyone: students, staff and families,” she said.

This is her third campaign and “probably my last,” she added.

Williams no opposition

Ryan Williams says his focus when he joins the school board will be on people.

“I am focused on student achievement, success and safety and want to support our teachers and classified staff by giving them the dignity and respect they deserve,” Williams said.

He currently works as a political leader for SEIU Local 1021, which primarily represents county employees in Northern California, he said. He clarified that the department does not represent employees of the City of Petaluma or school staff in Petaluma.

In conversations with community members, Williams said he realized that “nobody was running for office. I dedicated my life to public service, and it seemed like the right time, at the right time, to put my name in the hat, and no one else decided to join me in this race” he said.

He is the father of two young children, one of whom is currently enrolled in the Waugh School District and will likely attend Petaluma City Schools after elementary school.

Current board members Caitlin Quinn (Area 2), Mady Cloud (Area 3) and Joanna Paul (Area 5) each ran unopposed in 2022 after being elected in 2018. Their terms expire in December 2026.

Sheldon Gen, a trustee at large, did not seek re-election and his term expires at the end of this year.

You can reach staff writer Jennifer Sawhney at 707-521-5346 or [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @sawhney_media.