Fresh faces may appear on the Grover Beach City Council if, as candidates claim, 1st District City Councilmember Robert Robert is not planning to run for reelection.
The candidate nomination period ends Aug. 7, and if the current council member doesn’t pull papers for his seat before then, the deadline extends to Aug. 12. Robert didn’t respond to New Times’ requests for comment.
Kelvin Coveduck, a vocal supporter of the controversial building heights measure on the November ballot, hopes to see his own name on that ballot too.
The 65-year-old retired radiographer filed his candidate intention statement on July 16 after learning about Robert’s decision to step away from reelection.
“He was on Facebook, and decided to run, and then he pulled all his information off Facebook, and so I wanted to clarify that position because I had told him a couple months ago that I would not run against him as an incumbent,” Coveduck said. “We have our disagreements, but I felt he was a good City Council member.”
If all candidates qualify, Coveduck will face off against PG&E Principal Program Manager Shilo Terek for the 1st District seat. A third candidate, Rebecca Larsen, filed a candidate intention statement, but she told New Times she won’t be running because of a medical issue.
Larsen, a registered Democrat, said she’d back Coveduck and Grover Beach mayoral candidate and Planning Commissioner David Swift.
“Even though politically we’re [Larsen and Coveduck] not on the same party, I do believe parties need to be put aside for city issues,” she said.
Terek reportedly has support from existing City Council members. She told New Times that some of the council members encouraged her to run for the 1st District seat after she unsuccessfully attempted to become a planning commissioner this year.
“They were also under the impression that Robert did not intend to run,” she said.
Terek, 42, said she would disclose the names of her endorsers as her campaign progresses. Her campaign website features the grand opening of Monarch Grove Winery, which she celebrated with 2nd District City Councilmember Jules Tuggle.
Tuggle has also filed papers to run for reelection and could run against Allen Thompson, if he qualifies, for the 2nd District seat. Thompson was involved in a settlement with the city for not paying transient occupancy taxes for two years while he ran a vacation rental.
Terek and Coveduck are on opposite sides in terms of support for Measures A-26 and F-26—resolutions requiring the city clerk position to be elected rather than appointed and limiting building heights while setting aside space in a mixed-use development for commercial use, respectively.
While Coveduck and the Save Grover citizens group championed the measures, Terek is against them.
She pointed to the city’s risk of being out of compliance with state housing laws if the building heights measure passes.
‘I believe that authenticity really matters and that our residents deserve leaders who are genuine, transparent, and true to their values.’ —Shilo Terek, potential Grover Beach City Council candidate
“My concern is that the initiative creates permanent citywide restrictions that reduce flexibility for future officials and residents,” she said of F-26. “State housing requirements continue to evolve, and I believe that Grover Beach needs the ability to evaluate projects on their individual merits rather than being constrained by a blanket statement or any kind of limitations that aren’t easily adjusted.”
Terek is also opposed to the measure about the city clerk’s position. She believes the clerk should be hired as an employee after a thorough application and interview process.
Her platform advocates for protecting and maintaining the city’s water infrastructure and improving investment in roads, sidewalks, pedestrian safety, and the overall traffic flow.
“One of the things that’s been a mantra of mine for a long time is: Be kind, be curious, and be brave,” Terek said. “Those are phrases that don’t only just sound catchy, but I truly try to live my life, personally and professionally, focused on those things. I believe that authenticity really matters and that our residents deserve leaders who are genuine, transparent, and true to their values.”
Coveduck also has issues on his mind beyond the building heights measure—though he admitted he wouldn’t have run for City Council were it not for concerns about the changing Grover Beach skyline.
If he wins the seat, he wants to find a replacement building site for the Grover Beach Police Department and improve transparency in water bills.
“For example, if someone has a water bill that’s $30 to use the piping to the street, they’re charged $60,” he said. “It doesn’t differentiate that if you have two dwellings.”
Coveduck has also vowed not to accept donations from builders and developers, adding that his campaign will be self-funded and free from political donations.
“I attended probably 90 percent of the Planning Commission meetings and the City Council meetings for the last year,” he said. “I feel that although I don’t have any official political experience, I have real-time experience. … I think it’s important that people who are ordinary citizens get involved.”
