It's Garner and Baxter in Monte Sereno race
By Nathan R. Huff
Erin Garner and David Baxter have won seats on the Monte Sereno City Council. With all four precincts reporting, Garner had 890 votes, or 38.2 percent of the vote; Baxter had 825 votes, or 35.4 percent. Fred Hawkes, who was appointed to fill the seat left vacant when Councilman Joel Gambord resigned, finished fourth with 615 votes, or 26.4 percent of the votes.
The results come after a relatively clean campaign by Monte Sereno standards. While the three candidates offered muted criticisms of each other, there was nothing resembling the level of animosity that appeared in the 1998 council election.
At a Sept. 27 League of Women Voters forum, the three candidates answered questions from a dozen audience members. Candidates used the opportunity to emphasize their commitment to preserving Monte Sereno's rural ambiance, though differences in how to do so were apparent.
The race was a relatively low-budget affair for the three candidates. Garner spent raised and spent the most, and Hawkes the least. Garner raised $3,500, all in loans to himself. He spent almost $2,100, the majority of which went toward two political newsletters he created entitled the Monte Sereno Monthly.
Baxter raised $1,600, $1,300 coming in the form of loans. He spent nearly $1,400, mostly on campaign literature and postage. Hawkes raised and spent less than $1,000, and was not required to file a campaign statement.
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