Citrus Heights councilwoman, Folsom architect likely headed for county supervisor runoff

Citrus Heights Councilwoman Sue Frost will likely face Folsom architect Mike Kozlowski in the November general election for an open seat on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.

Frost, 60, led five candidates with 29.5 percent of the vote Tuesday in the race for the District 4 seat representing northeast parts of the county.

Kozlowski, 48, had 20.7 percent, about 1 percentage point ahead of Folsom City Councilwoman Kerri Howell. Since no candidate came near the majority vote required to win outright, the top two contenders will face off in November.

As mail-in ballots are counted, it’s possible Howell, 57, could edge out Kozlowski since the gap consists of only 350 votes. Howell said Wednesday a second-place finish would be great, but she’s not counting on it.

Kozlowski was hesitant to declare himself a winner on Wednesday.

“The county elections office has quite a few ballots left to count,” he said. But, “I’m confident I got my message across and the voters heard me.”

The candidates are seeking the seat held by Roberta MacGlashan, who announced in September that she would leave office at the end of her term after 12 years.

District 4 is the only county district where Republicans outnumber Democrats in voter registration. The district covers northern and eastern suburbs in Sacramento County, including Folsom, Citrus Heights, Antelope and Orangevale.

Frost and Kozlowski are both registered Republicans, though their party affiliation does not appear on the ballot for the nonpartisan seat.

“I’m happy at the results and looking forward to the campaign moving forward starting today,” Frost said Wednesday. She said her campaign worked right up to 8 p.m. Tuesday when the polls closed. Her campaign was regrouping Wednesday and preparing to move forward, she said.

She said she will continue to push for public safety as a top priority and for a government that lives within its means.

“I passionately believe that government should be focused on protecting our constitutional rights and liberty – that government needs to listen to the community more, that we need to find new solutions to help the homeless and veterans,” she said in an email.

Tuesday’s primary narrowed the field from five candidates. High school teacher Gary Blenner, 49, won 18 percent of the vote, followed by longtime Folsom Cordova Unified School District Trustee Teresa Stanley, 54, with 11.7 percent.

“What (the results) show is that there’s a spectrum of voters in District 4 and each of us kind of hit a different group,” Kozlowski said. He said if he is the second candidate for November, he will make sure to widen his appeal so he can effectively represent the whole district going forward.

Endorsed by builders advocacy group Region Business, Kozlowski campaigned as a proponent for economic development.

He said one of his top issues will be improving efficiency in county offices providing services to the public. Providing better customer service will contribute to economic growth in the community, he said.

This story was originally published June 8, 2016 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Citrus Heights councilwoman, Folsom architect likely headed for county supervisor runoff."