By Helen Tomlin News Review Staff Writer– Yesterday, August 8, marked the last day for candidates to file for the several area offices that will appear on the November 5 ballot.
To lead the city’s government, two candidates will be running for mayor. The current mayor, Eric Bruen, will run again for a two-year term. However, the citizens will have another choice for that office: Travis W. Endicott. (Earlier, John JD Zipp filed but has since withdrawn from the mayoral position).
Ridgecrest voters will have three options for the two open city council positions. Tom Wiknich has gathered enough signatures to run alongside the two incumbents, Kyle Blades and Solomon Rajaratnam. These two open positions are for four years. However, if Blades gets re-elected, he will have to resign after three years because, according to a 2012 term limit law, he will have reached his eight-year limit.
In the city’s government, all five councilmen positions enjoy the same power and privileges, but the mayor also has special duties, which include presiding over the meetings, signing official documents, and officiating the city’s ceremonies and events. Both the mayor and councilmen are paid $774 per month.
Three directors from the Indian Wells Water District will run again unchallenged: Ron Kicinski, Chuck Griffin, and Mallory Boyd. The other two board members, Stan Rajtora and David St. Amand, will remain until 2026.
The Inyokern Airport Board has three seats open. Richard Bruce, Mark Storch, and Marshall “Chip” Holloway hope to fill these seats again. The remaining two directors, Jim Paris and Jack Bates, will continue their terms until 2026.
The Inyokern Community Services District has three positions open on its board of directors. The three whose terms expire are Terry Lister, Roger Cline, and Walter Ernst. Thomas Thompson is the only candidate running to fill one of these three positions.
Lastly, two school board positions for the Sierra Sands Unified School District (SSUSD) are open. Both Michael Scott and William “Bill” Farris hope to be re-elected. Soon, the five board members will represent different districts throughout the SSUSD area. Instead of having five candidates for all areas, they plan to split the districts, each representing certain ones. Until this plan is fully in place, Scott will run as a representative for District 4, and Farris will run for District 5. The other three positions will transition into Districts 1-3 in the next 2026 election.
For all the above positions, candidates must be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens, , and registered to vote within Ridgecrest’s city limits.
Ricca Charlon is Ridgecrest’s city clerk. One of her many duties is overseeing the general municipal election. For questions, call her office at 760-499-5002 or email .
