Sue Frost leads competitive Sacramento County supervisor race

Citrus Heights Councilwoman Sue Frost holds a lead early Wedensday in a Sacramento County Board of Supervisors District 4 race likely headed for a November runoff.

Five candidates vied for the seat vacated by Roberta MacGlashan, who announced in September that she would leave office at the end of her term after 12 years. Based on a count of absentee ballots and 94 percent of precincts reporting, Frost had 29.3 percent of the vote. Architect Mike Kozlowski was second at 20.9 percent, barely ahead of Folsom Councilwoman Kerri Howell, who had 20 percent.

With no candidate polling near the majority needed to win outright, the top two finishers will likely face off again in November.

District 4 covers northern and eastern suburbs in Sacramento County, including Folsom, Citrus Heights, Antelope and Orangevale. It’s the only district in the county with more registered Republicans than Democrats.

Frost, 60, was the most conservative candidate, vowing to safeguard personal liberties, trim the county budget and empower nonprofits to fill gaps in the safety net. Elected to the Citrus Heights City Council in 2012, she served as vice mayor in 2014 and mayor in 2015.

Frost also pushed for more integration of regional efforts to address homelessness and stricter enforcement of anti-camping ordinances. She advoacted for “more boots on the ground” and resources for law enforcement.

Kozlowski, a local architect and Vista del Lago High School track coach, said his main focus would be to advocate for economic growth. He was endorsed by Region Business, which began as an advocacy group for home builders.

Howell, 57, campaigned on improving basic road conditions, coordinating efforts to address homelessness and increasing public access to county information. Howell, a Democrat, has served on the Folsom City Council for 17 years.

The most liberal candidate on the ballot was Gary Blenner, a 49-year-old teacher at Rio Americano High School. He stood fourth with 18 percent of the vote. He said Sacramento County should create a community bank to fund social services and the county pension system, build housing for the homeless and cut pay for elected officials.

Longtime Folsom Cordova Unified School District trustee Teresa Stanley, 54, was last with 11.7 percent of the vote. She was at the center of one of the few moments of drama when she was captured in photos taking one of Kozlowski’s signs from an intersection in Rio Linda. She later replaced it with her own.

She said Kozlowski did not get permission from the First Southern Baptist Church of Rio Linda to place the sign. But Pastor Steve Gleghorn said that the patch of dry grass in question belongs to the county, not his adjacent church.

In District 3, incumbent Susan Peters is winning against Democrat Shaun Dillon with 74.3 percent of the vote. Peters is running for a fourth term representing the unincorporated communities of Arden Arcade, Carmichael and Fair Oaks, as well as parts of Sacramento.

This story was originally published June 7, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Sue Frost leads competitive Sacramento County supervisor race."