Grover H2O has spent the last year trying to change the city of Grover Beach.
From urging the city to opt out of the Central Coast Blue water reclamation project and lowering water rates to circulating a recall petition against City Councilmember Dan Rushing and petitioning to have the city clerk position elected instead of appointed, the group has made major waves in the small city.
Two members of Grover H2O ran in this year’s election: Debbie Peterson, the group’s founder and spokesperson, ran for mayor against current Councilmember Robert Robert and newcomer Kassi Dee, and Marsha Bolyanatz ran for the 3rd District City Council seat against Kathy McCorry.
According to SLO County’s preliminary election counts released early Nov. 6, Dee was leading the mayor’s race at 42 percent, followed by Peterson with 38 percent and Robert with 20 percent. The county plans to release updated numbers on Nov. 8.
Dee told New Times that she was feeling optimistic about the results so far and if she becomes mayor she plans to be out in the community, visible, and accessible to residents to gain back a level of trust and communication that’s been lacking.
“It’s important to me to bring the connection back between the residents and your local government,” she said. “You should be able to speak to your local government and not feel like you’re not being listened to, and that’s really what I’m planning to do. Lead with integrity, transparency, and visibility.”
Dee held a watch party at Jimmy D’s Spaghetti Joint on election night and was joined by current Mayor Karen Bright, former Mayor Jeff Lee, current Councilmembers Rushing and Clint Weirick, and other community members such as former Five Cities Fire Authority Fire Chief Steve Lieberman.
“I’m grateful for all the support from the community and from the people that have come forward,” she said. “I was endorsed and received a lot of support from many different groups. I just love this community, and I’m ready to serve.”
Just down the street, Peterson and Bolyanatz were having a watch party with Grover H2O members as the first round of results were announced.
While Peterson agreed to talk to New Times the following morning about the preliminary results, she didn’t respond to the request for comment.
The 3rd District race between McCorry and Bolyanatz is close, with McCorry in the lead by 11 votes.
While the Grover H2O members trailed behind their opponents in the early vote counts, the group’s recall initiative against Rushing was moving in its favor.
As of Nov. 6, 57 percent of the votes counted in the 2nd District favored the recall. The recall needs 50 percent of votes plus 1 to pass.
Rushing didn’t respond to New Times’ request to comment about his recall before publication, but Dee said she’s extremely devastated.
“Dan Rushing has done incredible things for our city,” she said. “I’m hoping that whatever the future holds, we can all come together and move forward as a city and as a collective body and maybe get rid of this divisiveness.” Δ
This article appears in Nov 7-17, 2024.