Paso Robles could see two new faces in city leadership as political newcomers held narrow leads in the mayoral and 2nd District City Council races following the Nov. 3 election.
Preliminary vote counts released on Nov. 4 showed Faith Frankel ahead of Bill Britton in the race to replace outgoing Mayor John Hamon, while Michael Massey led incumbent Councilmember Chris Bausch and challenger Robert Simoni in the 2nd District.
Neither race has been decided, with just 133 votes separating Frankel and Britton and fewer than 100 votes dividing all three 2nd District candidates.
Frankel received 45 percent of the votes counted so far, compared to Britton’s 43 percent. Chris Rogalla trails them with 12 percent.
The race to replace Hamon, who announced in April that he would not seek reelection after roughly two decades in local government, comes as Paso Robles grapples with housing affordability, aging infrastructure, and questions about future development.
Frankel, a lifelong Paso Robles resident, family physician, and small-business owner, campaigned on improving roads, protecting water resources, and expanding economic opportunities.
“I’ve cared for Paso families as a doctor. Now I’m ready to help care for the future of our city,” Frankel said in a statement on her website.
Britton, a retired Air Force officer and former Cal Poly vice president, centered his campaign on infrastructure, public safety, and diversifying the city’s economy beyond tourism and agriculture.
“We’re not just a town for tourists to come visit,” Britton previously told New Times. “We’re a community that’s growing, … and we need to build an economic future.”
New Times contacted the mayoral candidates but did not receive responses before press time.
The 2nd District race could determine whether Bausch, who was appointed to the council in 2022, retains his seat.
Massey led with 621 votes, or 36 percent, followed by Bausch with 546 votes, or 32 percent, and Simoni with 537 votes, or 32 percent.
“We knew it was going to be a close one with three people in the race, all of us campaigning,” Massey told New Times. “It’s going kind of how we thought it was going to go.”
Massey said his initial 36-vote lead on election night made him anxious, but subsequent results were more reassuring.
“Still, I think we have a long way to go,” he said. “But we are feeling good.”
The Paso Robles native and Generation Build founder campaigned on housing affordability, economic development, and creating opportunities for younger residents.
“At the end of the day, that’s all I am, just a kid from Paso that wants to give back to my city,” Massey said.
Bausch, whose tenure has included a public records dispute that resulted in litigation involving the city and The Tribune, said the race remains far from over.
“[It’s] still early,” Bausch told New Times. “I have about a 50-50 chance of catching up to Mr. Massey.”
Bausch said his campaign’s focus on transparency and listening to residents rather than special interests resonated with voters.
“I believe that being transparent and trying to be mindful of the people’s voice and not special interest voice … was a very, very positive message, well received,” he said.
Simoni, a first-time candidate, said he was encouraged by his performance against an incumbent and a candidate endorsed by the outgoing mayor.
“To come in as close as I did at this point, I think is a pretty good showing,” Simoni said.
If he does not win, Simoni said he hopes the eventual winner considers his priorities, including smart growth, road improvements, and preserving open space.
“I sure hope that their opinions and their wants and desires are taken into account moving forward,” he said of residents.
In the 1st District City Council race, incumbent Kris Beal was beating challenger Linda George by almost 600 votes in early totals. Additional ballots are expected to be counted in the coming days, with the next results update anticipated on Nov. 5. ∆
This article appears in Nov 5-12, 2026.
