My journey for a Council position began after attending many meetings in late 2015 and early 2016. I felt like my voice was not being heard. I was left disillusioned with our system and felt as many others may have…Why show up and voice my opinion if our elected officials already have their minds made up?
Well, I can tell you I didn’t stop showing up. I continued to go to meetings and as the nomination period began to approach, I looked around and wondered who would be a good candidate. There were two seats open and we really needed two new council members. Instead of looking for a candidate, I told myself that I was that person…and so began my first attempt to become a member of the Town Council.
There I was, a mother of 3 and a full time employee with Jackson Family Wines. Does this description fit that of a Town Council Member? Once I had my nomination papers filed, I began to hear the opinions of our current council members. They would sit there during council meetings and make statements like, “we would not be able to do this job with young kids at home” or “we would not be able to do this job if we worked full time”, unless it was a family business that gave them the opportunity to be away often and how time consuming the job was. So obviously, they made it clear that I was not a good candidate for the position.
The election arrived and I was short by 376 votes. 376 … ouch, that stung a little. 376! That is a number I can work with. 2018 was around the corner and there are were going to be 3 seats available.
In 2018 my kids were older and more independent. I left my full time job in 2017 so I could focus on my children and our community. So I removed the possibility of the current council sending out messages that someone like me didn’t qualify for the position. I filed my nomination papers and felt confident that I could reach out and get 378 new votes.
This time around the Council focused on how important it was to have past experience sitting on commissions for the town. We also ended up getting 6 new names to run for Council. That was a total of 10 candidates for 3 seats. Who were these people that I had never seen or heard of (besides Lemus from our School Board) that were all of a sudden interested in having a seat on the Council? Where did they come from? It turns out that 3 of the 6 did not attend any Candidate Forums and they still walked away with 3,699 votes combined. This time I was short by 375 votes. REALLY! Maybe it was my daughter, who had just turned 18 that gave me that extra vote.
Here I am in 2020 and once again I feel like this is my moment. I have extensive knowledge of how the Town operates or as much as one can have from sitting on the outside looking in. I have spent my own money printing out the budgets, The General Plan, The Stationary Plan and any other documents that I feel I need to fully understand what decisions are being made for US…the residents of Windsor. Many Town staff members know me well because I am constantly asking for documents and information regarding almost every type of issue going on around Town. I have experience sitting on many Boards and attending various commission meetings. I am also the Chair for the Housing Committee at the Sonoma County Area Agency on Aging. I am an At-Large Member and sit on their Executive Committee.
Rosa Reynoza for Mayor in 2020. I like the sound of that. I hope I can earn your vote this year. We need a new voice on our council. Someone who will encourage more civic engagement rather then tell people why they would not be able to be a council member.
This has been a very good journey for me and I hope come January 2021 I will finally have a seat on the council where I can be a strong advocate for you from the inside
Rosa Reynoza for Windsor 