Long List of Candidates for City Races – Mayor, Council, Clerk & Treasurer
By Allen Payton, Publisher
The field of candidates is set in races for Antioch Mayor, Council, Clerk and Treasurer in the November election. Following are the candidates for each office in the order that they appear in the list from the County Elections website, as well as their self-chosen ballot designations and other information
Mayor
Gary Agopian, Antioch City Councilmember, Real Estate Agent and former Antioch School Board member for four years.
Wade Harper, Police Lieutenant/Vice-Mayor, who served two years on the Antioch School Board, appointed to fill the seat of the late Joyce Seelinger, then was elected in 2010 to the City Council. He works for the City of Tracy
Donald P. “Don” Freitas, Retired Environmental Manager, worked for the county for 30 years, is Antioch’s former Mayor from 2000-2008 and Councilman from 1998 to 2000, and represented Antioch on the Contra Costa Water District Board for 16 years.
Michael Anthony Leon, Marketing Manager for a heating and air conditioning company who is a newcomer to Antioch politics. He describes himself as a “regular Joe” or “Joe the Plumber” type who was encouraged to run by his neighbors after he was featured on Channel 4 news for helping get rid of squatters and some problem Section 8 tenants from his neighborhood.
Council
Noel Pinto, Manager, he’s the Director of Parking and Enforcement for the City of Oakland with a background in engineering.
Monica Wilson, College Dean Assistant, she’s the Executive Assistant to the Dean of Student Life for Mills College in Oakland., is a member of the Antioch Economic Development Commission, Vice Chair of the Contra Costa County Democratic Party Central Committee, is the Treasurer for the California Democratic Party Women’s Caucus, and serves as the staff adviser to the Feminist Democrats (Fem Dems), the Mills College Democratic Club.
James D. Davis “Jim”, Mayor/Banker, he chose not to run for reelection as mayor but for council, instead. He was first elected to the council in 1998 and works as a Vice President for Bank of the West.
Mary Helen Rocha, Councilmember / Community Liaison, she has served on the council and as Mayor off and on, and as an Antioch School Board Trustee for the past 30 plus years. This will be her final time running, win or lose.
Walter Ruehlig, Employment Training Director, he is currently an Antioch School Board Trustee, where he has served for two terms.
Clerk
Arne Simonsen, Retired Master Chief in the Navy, but also retired Antioch small business owner of Simonsen Mechanical and a former Antioch City Councilman for two terms.
Argentina Davila-Luevano, Social Worker, who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work with a Specialty in Child Welfare. But right now she’s the President and CEO of the California LULAC Institute also known as CLI, a 501c3 nonprofit organization. She does social work when she handles case management for families through CLI.
Treasurer
Donna Conley, Incumbent, she is running unopposed.
