2022 Arroyo Grande Candidates Forum

2022 Arroyo Grande Candidates Forum: This free event is open to the public, and candidates will be given the opportunity to answer questions regarding their candidacy. This is a great opportunity to meet the Arroyo Grande Mayor and City Council candidates and ask your questions before the vote on November 8.

The candidates for Arroyo Grande Mayor are Caren Ray Russom, Gaea Powell, and Dale T. Hanson. The candidate for District 1 Council Member is Kathleen P. Secrest. The candidates for District 4 Council Member are Ben Franco and James Robert Guthrie. Attendees will be able to hear from the candidates, ask questions, and have an opportunity to speak with them one-on-one.

Learn more about the candidates here:

Caren Ray Russom: Mayor Caren has been serving the city since 2005, where she started as a Planning Commissioner. She moved up to City Council in 2010, and then Mayor in 2018, and served as County Supervisor in between.  She has also been a Board member of several organizations including SLOCOG, IWMA, Economic Vitality Corporation, Zone 3, and CapSLO. She is currently a Director for the South County Sanitation District and a Board member of Arroyo Grande Public Art.  Mayor Caren is well known to be a consensus-builder who has broad bi-partisan support and is a recipient of Rotary International's Paul Harris Award for "Service above Self". She is seeking her third term as Mayor.

Gaea Powell: Gaea is a successful business consultant, business owner, community volunteer, as well as a Constitutional rights advocate. With over 25 years of experience as a respected business professional and consultant, her specialty is in evaluation and reengineering of company operations and implementation of strategic development, marketing, performance and productivity improvement resulting in managed growth and higher profits. Her focus is also on company culture building and creative problem solving. She is a facts-driven, strong, fearless leader who firmly believes you are only as great as the talented people you empower and surround yourself with.

Gaea is firm in her convictions as a Constitutional rights and health freedom advocate. Her award-winning film exposes profit-driven government agency, big pharma and medical industry overreach, collusion and corruption. She always questions authority.

After an extraordinary career working with influential leaders in the entertainment industry and serving as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Chief of Staff during his campaign, Gaea relocated to the Central Coast where she and her husband enjoy their home, Arroyo Grande.  Utilizing her diverse skills and abilities, Gaea is determined and dedicated to protecting Arroyo Grande’s assets, heritage, businesses,  and its citizens while tackling current ongoing challenges.
 
Dale T. Hanson: Dale has enjoyed living in Arroyo Grande for over 21 years and has served on the Board of Directors for the Highland at Rancho Grande Association as its Treasurer for five years.  He offers a diversified background in management and leadership roles in the US Government (civil service and military), State of California agency, City and County Government, Industry, Aerospace, and California Public Education. He was drafted into the Army, served 33 years in both active and reserve components, initially as an enlisted member, attuning the rank of Sergeant First Class (E7).  Then he was Commissioned as an Officer, Second Lieutenant Infantry and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.  For his service in Vietnam, he received a Purple Heart and was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge.
 
Kathleen “Kate” P. Secrest: Kate is an official candidate for Arroyo Grande City Council, District One. Kate and her husband, Scott and her daughter Perna have lived in the city of Arroyo Grande for 13 years. She has resided in the county for almost 25 years and is a 5th generation Californian.

Kate has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in American/English Literature, as well as programs of concentration in Law and Society and European Visual Arts, from the University of California at San Diego. Additionally, in 1993, she graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate, obtaining a Certificate of Public Interest as well.

Kate has been employed as a Deputy District Attorney for San Luis Obispo County for almost 25 years. In this capacity, she has prosecuted and tried to jury many cases including domestic violence, narcotics, sex crimes, environmental crimes, and Offender with Mental Disorder cases. She is proud to have contributed to the safety of victims and our community for almost a quarter century. Kate also spent 15 years as a member of the women's club Altrusa International (SLO), where she served terms as both Vice President and Director.
 
Ben Franco: Born in 1982, Ben was mostly raised by a single mother of three and relocated a lot as a child. He has lived all over California from the Bay Area to Bakersfield and everywhere in between and even spent three years in Idaho. After graduating high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and became an Aviation Ordnancemen.  His dad passed away while he was in A school when Ben was 18 years old. He was stationed at NAS Lemoore where he was attached to VFA-122 for two years. After the attack on 9/11, he chose orders to deploy with the USS Nassau where they were deployed for 250+ days launching Marines and aircraft. After the deployment their ship went to the yards in Portsmouth, VA to get ready for the next deployment. While in the docks, Ben met his wife Jackie who is also a Navy veteran. They had their first child Jenna (17) while stationed in VA. They moved back home to California after they both received honorable discharges. They moved to the Modesto area and had their next two children Morgan (15) and Caleb (12). During the recession of 2008/2009 they sold their house in Atwater and relocated to the Central Coast. Since moving here, Ben has been the PTA president of Grover Heights Elementary and started a successful exterior maintenance business. Ben describes himself as a devoted husband, father, and man of God. He said he truly feels blessed to be here. Ben loves to help people and believes in standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. He said he is running for Arroyo Grande City Council because he wants to give back to this community that has given him and his family so much.
 
James “Jim” Robert Guthrie: Jim grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. After attending Foothill Junior College and graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s in history in 1975, he spent the next 15 years in Santa Barbara. In 1991 he moved to the Five Cities area to manage the Spyglass Inn. He retired in 2015 and has lived with his wife Betty in Arroyo Grande since 1999. He served on Arroyo Grande City Council from 2004-2016 and was a Planning Commissioner in Arroyo Grande from 2000-2004 and again 2021-present.

Business Experience

• 1988-1991 General Manager West Beach Inn, Santa Barbara
• 1991-2015 General Manager of the Spyglass Inn in Pismo Beach
• 1989-1990 President of the Santa Barbara Lodging Association
• Past President of the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce

• 2000-2004 Arroyo Grande Planning Commission
• 2004-2016 Arroyo Grande City Council
• 2021-Present Arroyo Grande Planning Commission
• Current President of the Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival          

• San Luis Obispo Council of Governments - SLOCOG
• San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority - SLORTA
• San Luis Obispo Homeless Coalition
• Community Action Partnership - CAPSLO
• Chairman of the South County Area Transit