Solvang residents have two choices for mayor, and neither one is current Mayor Ryan Toussaint.
Current City Councilmember Karen Waite is running against Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriff Charlie Uhrig to fill the position that Toussaint is leaving.
Waite told the Sun she believes the position of mayor should be earned through experience and never left uncontested.
“So, in this case, we have my opponent who decided to run for mayor with no experience. I believe the residents of Solvang really deserve to have the choice to elect a qualified experienced candidate, which would be me,” Waite said.
Uhrig doesn’t have previous experience as a local elected official but has been a community resource deputy in Solvang for more than 16 years.
Uhrig said this position has familiarized him with the residents of the city, business owners, school personnel, and city staff. He has worked as a school resource deputy, taken part in the Santa Ynez Valley Coalition, and was chairman of the Santa Ynez Valley Army Service Extension.
“Everywhere I go, a lot of people know me, and so I’ve always felt I’m approachable. That’s what I believe I can bring to the council as mayor,” he said.
The mayor position is symbolic, Uhrig said, as it doesn’t carry more weight than being a council member. The purpose of the position is to moderate meetings, which he said he has plenty of experience doing as a former bailiff.
Some Solvang residents have questioned Uhrig’s candidacy with concerns about his address and whether he’s a permanent resident of Solvang. He negates the allegations and says he has a permanent residential address in the city.
He said he feels that the current City Council isn’t in touch with the needs of the community. Uhrig believes the council isn’t transparent in its decision-making and doesn’t gather enough community input.
“I know no proof, none of us do as residents, but it appeared that deals were being made by some council members and items were discussed prior to coming to council meetings. That’s not the way it’s supposed to work. Our council is supposed to make decisions as a whole,” he said.
Uhrig said he also wants to revisit the Copenhagen Street closure after city staff has gathered data on how the closure has affected the downtown area. He understands that parking has always been an issue in the area and believes that it’s being compounded by the closure.
Waite served on the Solvang City Council for three years after she was elected to fill the seat vacated by former Councilman Hans Duus in 2017. She also was on the Architectural Review Board for two years and was elected to be a board trustee for the Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District No. 1.
Running for the mayoral seat is a natural progression for her, Waite said.
If elected, Waite said she will continue to work on capital improvement projects that are coming down the pipeline, such as the wastewater treatment plant. She said the community has an opportunity to either purchase more state water or start concentrating on local wells.
Waite has also been working with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments on traffic flow studies, cycling and equestrian trails, pedestrian safety, and current traffic congestion.
“I’ve worked very hard with this council to find alternative ways to keep our businesses open, and one of those was the closure of Copenhagen Street, which is a controversial item right now. We also created the Branding and Design Committee to make sure that the look of the closed Copenhagen Street fit in with our European look of our quaint Danish town,” she said.
She also notes her behavior on the dais as something the voters should consider when looking at her qualifications.
“I feel that I’m a reasonable voice on the dais. I don’t shoot from the hip. I really think things through, and I come to the meetings prepared,” Waite said.
Her mission if elected would be to lead the City Council to establish and maintain long-term goals for the city.
“One of my accomplishments over the last two years on the City Council is we implemented a two-year financial plan and budget that had never been done before in the city’s history,” she said.
Waite also wants to continue and maintain the strategic partnerships the current council has created with neighboring communities that helps streamline city services.
“And isolate opportunities to reduce our financial footprint and make our services more affordable and less expensive for the city, and it’ll help us manage our small-town growth,” she said.
For more information about the mayoral and City Council candidates, the Solvang Chamber of Commerce is holding several forums at The Coffee House by CHOMP. The chamber asks attendees to bring their face mask and lawn chair.
