Running for Office in Goleta

Goleta councilmembers Stuart Kasdin and Kyle Richards hadn’t seriously considered running for elected office before they attended an informative Goodland Coalition meeting on running for and serving on City Council several years ago. “I went more out of curiosity,” said Richards, “and it was a hard decision to make. But at the meeting, I realized there were people to support me, who were available to help, and people looking for someone to lead them. There were 40 or 50 people there, and only two or three raised their hands to say they were thinking of running. I wasn’t one of them,” he recalled, laughing.

To bump up the number of potential candidates in Goleta’s November election — currently at three candidates for three offices — The Goodland Coalition will hold its nonpartisan, free forum again, this time on Thursday, April 19, 6:45 p.m., at the Goleta library (500 N. Fairview Ave.). “Running for office is one of those bucket-list adventures,” said Kasdin.