Race is on for fifth council seat Race is on for fifth council seat (March 11, 2005)

Just 92 days to June 7 special vote
by Jeb Bing

With the filing deadline at 5 p.m. today, three candidates for City Council in the special June 7 election have submitted filing information to qualify for the race with a fourth still undecided about entering the race as of late Wednesday

Filing for the vacant council seat to be filled are Brian Arkin, 44; Dan Faustina, 26; and Jerry Thorne, 60. Their filing papers will now be sent by City Clerk Dawn Abrahamson to the Alameda County Registrar's Office for certification. If they're approved, their names will be on the June 7 municipal ballot.

A fourth possible candidate is Edgar I. Centeno, president of the governing board of the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District. A retired consultant who lives in the Creekside neighborhood, Centeno ran unsuccessfully last November for a seat on the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District board.

"I've taken out the necessary papers and have obtained the signatures I need to file as a candidate, but I still haven't made up my mind," Centeno said. "I'm very concerned about traffic congestion and housing development issues in Pleasanton, which is why I want to serve on the council."

Thorne, a retired business executive, is a long-time member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, and has also served on other commissions and task forces. He filed his election papers Wednesday and immediately launched his election campaign with a speech scheduled yesterday to the Tri-Valley Republican Women Federated organization at the Radisson Hotel.

Arkin, who filed for election a week ago, is a member of the city Planning Commission, which he chaired two years ago. He is director of Hardware Engineering at a semiconductor company in Milpitas.

"I'm working on campaign literature now and forming my election committee," Arkin said. "I already have the endorsements of council members Matt Sullivan and Cindy McGovern, Planning Commissioners Mary Roberts, Phil Blank and Anne Fox, and former Mayor Ben Tarver."

Faustina, who is in the health care insurance business, filed his election papers Wednesday. Like Thorne, he started his campaign immediately with a speech scheduled for 11:45 a.m. today to the Pleasanton Kiwanis Club at Vic's All-Star Restaurant. He will be the Tri-Valley Republican Women Federated organization's speaker at its April luncheon.

"Right now, my campaign is being formulated and I will post updates on my Web site at www.danfaustina.com," he said. "The people of Pleasanton are ready to have an independent voice on the council, and I'm pleased to make my candidacy official."

The special election, which is costing Pleasanton taxpayers about $160,000, was made necessary when Councilwoman Jennifer Hosterman was elected mayor last November, with two more years remaining in her four-year council term. The winner of the June 7 election will serve out that term, which will expire in December 2006.

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