Initial results from Tuesday’s City Council election in American Canyon appear to show leads for Sindy Biederman, favored by 29.3% of voters, and incumbent David Oro, favored by 26.1% of voters, for two open seats on the council.
Five candidates are in the running: Oro, who seeks a third term; Biederman, a Napa County Office of Education trustee and former county probation officer; Jason Kishineff, a Napa Valley College trustee and three-time congressional candidate; Robert Cole, board president of a manufactured home community in American Canyon; and Jim Giron, an information technology consultant and longtime resident.
The two seats up for election are held by Oro and Mark Joseph, who is calling it quits after decades of serving the city.
Oro runs Oro Group, a media relations company, and touts the importance of housing and business development in American Canyon as well as an overhaul of the ever-congested state Route 29, which cuts through the middle of the city. He raised several thousand dollars, primarily from the operators of a local cardroom and from a political action committee based in Fresno called Central Valley Council.
Biederman was backed by Joseph and is a retired probation officer and a board member for the Napa County Office of Education. Her campaign centers on environmental protections for the area’s historic wetlands and a need for economic development. She netted contributions from a number of local community leaders and fellow education officials, including Napa Valley Unified School District Trustee Cindy Watter.