Novato Mayor Rachel Farac and City Councilmember Pat Eklund appear to be favorites to hold on to two district seats on the City Council, according to unofficial election results released after the close of polls Tuesday.
In District 2, which stretches east from South Novato Boulevard to Verissimo Hills Preserve, Farac held a strong lead with 65% of the vote. Her challengers include PG&E engineer Mike Little, who held 23% of the vote, and electrician Bob Rasmussen, who had the remainder of the vote.
Thirty-year incumbent Eklund held a narrower lead for the District 4 seat with 44% of the vote. That placed her just ahead of Dan Christian with 40% of the vote. District 4 includes areas south of downtown, the College of Marin Indian Valley Campus and Marin Country Club.
Trailing in the District 4 race was Chris Carpiniello with 13% of the vote and Luiggino Galletto at just 3%.
Farac, 43, has served on the council since 2022 and will serve as mayor through the end of this year. Before joining the council, Farac served on the city’s Planning Commission. She cited balancing the city budget, investing in roads and infrastructure, and supporting an alternative mental health first responder program among her accomplishments.
Christian, 59, has been pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church since 2019. His campaign priorities included maintaining a fully staffed police department, supporting local businesses and maintaining public parks and trails.
Eklund, 74, has served multiple terms on the council since first being elected in 1996. She 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.
