Salinas Mayoral Race Changes | News

By Marissa Pendergrass - email

SALINAS, Calif.-The Salinas mayoral race is heating up and there are some changes already happening before the final filing date.  Some new faces are throwing their hat in the ring.  That brings the list of candidates to five, all vying for the seat that current mayor Dennis Donohue is leaving behind.

So far only two candidates have officially filed with the city of Salinas to run for mayor this November.  They are Joe Gunter and Hla Myaing. 

Gunter served 32 years on the Salinas Police Department and is now president of the California International Air Show Salinas.  He told us the city needs to focus on attracting new businesses and helping current ones.

Myaing, a local dentist, said he plans to focus on public safety.  He wants to spend less money and wants to share his experiences in Burma with folks here.

Central Coast News confirmed three more people are planning to run for mayor as well.  Current city council member Sergio Sanchez, a labor and community activist planned to run for his seat again, but fell short of the signatures needed.  So now he's running for mayor instead.  His focus will be on economic development like partnering with Silicon Valley businesses.

Rick Phinney, a Vietnam veteran and real estate business owner, told us he wants to focus on business development, job creation and reducing gang crime.  Former Salinas Union High School trustee Margaret Serna-Bonetti, is running again.  She said her main concerns are improving the city's economy, lowering the crime rate through youth programs and transparency. 

The three candidates who haven't filed yet and anyone else planning to run needs to file their paperwork by 5:30pm on Wednesday.