Change is coming to Paso Robles City Hall. Mayor John Hamon is not seeking another term, leaving three candidates competing to replace him, while two sitting councilmembers are hoping to keep their seats. All of this means that voters could reshape the citys leadership this November.
The three candidates vying to fill the citys top seat are Bill Britton, Dr. Faith Frankel, and Chris Rogalla.
I feel like all the experiences Ive had, all the things Ive done, really are what we need in Paso Robles to help us kind of adjust, get ready for the future, listen to people and take care of what were doing and focus in on just Paso Robles, said Paso Robles mayoral candidate Bill Britton.
Britton, 70, comes to the race with a background in both the military and technology. He served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and was assigned in California four different times. Britton retired this year from Cal Poly, where he worked as a chief information officer, after first being contracted there through one of the companies he worked for.
I really love this place; its absolutely amazing! As a matter of fact, when I moved out here, the original contract was a two-year contract, and the wife and family stayed at home, Britton said. I think I was here three months and said, Honey, weve gotta find a way to come out here!
Dr. Frankel is also making a bid for mayor.
I want to represent the people of Paso Robles. I want them to feel that their voice is getting heard. I want to vote according to what they want, Frankel said. They think theres a lot of backdoor handshaking; a lot of people think they make the decisions before they even talk to people. When Im mayor, theres not gonna be that.
The 44-year-old family practitioner says shes lived in Paso Robles since she was seven. Shes focused on fixing and maintaining roads, bringing back activities for young families and locals, increasing the number of physicians in the area, and becoming the citys first female mayor.
Its not just being a woman; its being younger and, also, if people dont feel like theyre getting what they need, then something has to change, she said. This has been kind of like the good ol boys club for a very long time, and theyve kind of picked their incumbents and, in my opinion, thats not democracy.
Rounding out the field is local business owner Rogalla.
We moved back to Paso in 2022, and Ive just fallen in love with the city, Rogalla said. The past iterations of the council have done a very good job bringing in tourism, bringing in the money, the fun projects, but I think its time to start figuring out ways to divert that money back into the local base.
Rogalla owns a local candle business and says he wants to preserve Paso Robles small-town feel while making it more family-friendly and affordable.
When its 100 degrees out, Im not gonna bring my kids out here. When its raining, Im not bringing my kids out. So, we have to fix our roads, we have to figure out stuff for families to do, and then we have to figure out how to make Paso an area to bring families here that they can actually afford and stay here, he said.
The 38-year-old grew up in Atascadero and later moved back to the area with his family.
The mayors race isnt the only contest on the ballot, with city council seats in Districts 1 and 2 also up for grabs.
In District 1, incumbent Kris Beal is seeking a second term. She faces Linda George, who also challenged Beal in 2024.
Facing District 2 incumbent councilmember Chris Bausch are newcomers Michael Massey and Robert Simoni.