On Nov. 3, voters will choose among candidates for two city council seats in Novato, the second-largest city in Marin County.
District 2, which spans east from South Novato Boulevard to the Verissimo Hills Preserve, has three candidates vying for one seat.
Four candidates are running to fill one seat representing District 4, which lies south of downtown and includes the College of Marin Indian Valley Campus and the Marin Country Club.
District 2 race
District 2 candidates are Mayor Rachel Farac, Mike Little and Bob Rasmussen.
Farac, 43, is the incumbent. She has served on the council since 2022 and serves as mayor through the end of the year. She said she helped balance the city budget, invested in roads and infrastructure, and supported an alternative mental health first responder program. Farac previously served on the city Planning Commission.
In addition to endorsements from three other councilmembers, Farac has the endorsements of U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and state Assemblymember Damon Connolly, D-San Rafael, as well as the Marin County Democrats, Service Employees International Union Local 73, the Sierra Club, the Novato Police Officers Association and the Marin Builders Association.
Mike Little, 40, is an engineer who works on plans and designs for the PG&E electrical grid, which he attributes to his skill at solving complex problems. Little has called for police to use higher standards for the use of restraining devices. He also said the city should reconsider selling the Marin Valley Mobile Country Club to its older residents, who formed a nonprofit 38 years ago for that purpose.
Bob Rasmussen, 58, is an electrician who investigates the root causes associated with electrical system failures. Rasmussen said he wants to preserve the city’s small-town character while supporting strategic, well-planned growth. He cites his experiences with droughts, floods and other local challenges as informing his views on careful planning, resilient infrastructure and responsible development.
The incumbent candidate for the District 4 seat is Councilmember Pat Eklund, who was first elected and served as mayor in 1996 and has served seven additional terms. Eklund, 74, has represented the county’s 11 cities on the executive board of the Association of Bay Area Governments and is an alternate board member to the Transportation Authority of Marin.
District 4 race
The other District 4 candidates include Dan Christian, Luiggino Galletto and Chris Carpiniello.
Christian, 59, has been pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church since 2019. His priorities are maintaining a fully staffed police department, supporting local businesses, and maintaining public parks and trails. He is endorsed by Marin County Superintendent of Schools John Carroll, as well as current Novato Councilmembers Kevin Jacobs and Tim O’Connor. Additional endorsements include the Novato Police Officers Association, North Coast States Carpenters Union, Marin Association of REALTORS and the Marin Democratic Party.
Luiggino, 35, is a franchise content strategist for Lucasfilm, managing how the company’s film narratives unfold across various media platforms, such as video games, theme parks and consumer products. In addition to filling vacant commercial sites in the city, he said that as a councilmember he would address fiscal responsibility and transparency, which he described as one of the biggest concerns he hears from Novato residents. He said on his campaign site that he has been mentored by Fortune 500 C-suite executives and industry leaders. He also serves as a member of Novato’s Design Review Committee.
Licensed contractor Chris Carpiniello, 64, ran for a seat on the Board of Supervisors in June. His platform states that he is taking a stand for election security, deregulation, abundant resources, affordability and local sovereignty. He is endorsed by the Marin Republican Central Committee.
