Newcomers lead two Paso Robles City Council races

Paso Robles voters may be on the verge of installing two new faces in city leadership, and the outcome could ripple across the North County — including here in Atascadero.

According to preliminary vote counts released Nov. 4 following the Nov. 3 election, political newcomers held narrow leads in both the Paso Robles mayoral race and the contest for the 2nd District City Council seat. The New Times SLO (Atascadero) reported that neither race has been decided, with just 133 votes separating the two leading mayoral candidates and fewer than 100 votes dividing all three candidates in the 2nd District.

The stakes extend beyond Paso Robles city limits. Atascadero and Paso Robles are the two anchor cities of the North County, sharing a regional economy, school-to-workforce pipelines, housing pressures, and transportation corridors. Leadership changes in Paso Robles — particularly on development, water, and infrastructure policy — tend to shape regional conversations in which Atascadero leaders are also participants.

A Tight Mayoral Race to Replace John Hamon

The contest to succeed outgoing Mayor John Hamon remains up in the air. Hamon, who announced in April that he would not seek reelection after roughly two decades in local government, leaves big shoes to fill at a moment when Paso Robles is grappling with housing affordability, aging infrastructure, and unresolved questions about future development.

As of the Nov. 4 count, Faith Frankel led with 45 percent of ballots counted, compared to 43 percent for Bill Britton. Chris Rogalla trailed with 12 percent, according to New Times.

Frankel, a lifelong Paso Robles resident, family physician, and small-business owner, campaigned on improving roads, protecting water resources, and expanding economic opportunity. "I've cared for Paso families as a doctor. Now I'm ready to help care for the future of my city," Frankel said in a statement on her campaign website.

Britton, a retired Air Force officer and former Cal Poly vice president, centered his campaign on infrastructure, public safety, and diversifying the local economy beyond its traditional tourism and agriculture base. "We're not just a town for tourists to come visit," Britton previously told New Times. "We're a community that's growing, … and we need to build an economic future."

New Times reported that it contacted the mayoral candidates but did not receive responses before press time.

Massey Holds Slim Edge in Three-Way 2nd District Contest

The 2nd District race may be even tighter — and it could determine whether an incumbent keeps his seat.

Michael Massey, founder of the organization Generation Build, led with 621 votes, or 36 percent, followed by appointed incumbent Councilmember Chris Bausch with 546 votes, or 32 percent, and challenger Robert Simoni with 537 votes, also 32 percent, according to the preliminary tally.

"We knew it was going to be a close one with three people in the race, all of us campaigning," Massey told New Times. "It's going kind of how we thought it was going to go."

Massey said his initial 36-vote lead on election night made him anxious, though subsequent ballot drops were more reassuring. "Still, I think we have a long way to go," he said. "But we are feeling good."

The Paso Robles native campaigned on housing affordability, economic development, and creating opportunities for younger residents. "At the end of the day, that's all I am, just a kid from Paso that wants to give back to my city," Massey said.

Bausch, who was appointed to the council in 2022 and whose tenure has included a public records dispute that resulted in litigation involving the city and The Tribune, said the race is far from over. "[It's] still early," he told New Times. "I have about a 50-50 chance of catching up to Mr. Massey." Bausch credited his campaign's emphasis on transparency and listening to residents rather than special interests.

Simoni, a first-time candidate, said he was encouraged by his showing against an incumbent and a candidate who received the outgoing mayor's endorsement. "To come in as close as I did at this point, I think is a pretty good showing," Simoni said. If he falls short, he said he hopes the winner takes up his priorities — smart growth, road improvements, and preserving open space.

Incumbent Comfortably Ahead in the 1st District

Not every Paso Robles race is a nail-biter. In the 1st District City Council contest, incumbent Kris Beal held a lead of nearly 600 votes over challenger Linda George in the early returns, New Times reported.

What Happens Next — and Why Atascadero Should Care

County elections officials were expected to continue processing ballots in the days after Election Night, with the next results update anticipated Nov. 5. Late-arriving mail ballots, provisional ballots, and ballots needing signature verification can shift close margins significantly in the days after an election, which is why both the mayoral and 2nd District races remain genuinely unsettled.

For Atascadero residents, the composition of the Paso Robles council matters in practical ways. The two cities collaborate on regional issues ranging from transportation and housing planning to economic development and public safety resources. Paso Robles' decisions about growth and infrastructure sit just down the Highway 101 corridor, and its leadership helps set the tone for North County priorities at the county level.

If the current leads hold, Paso Robles would swear in a mayor with deep community roots in Frankel and a 2nd District councilmember in Massey who has made generational opportunity a centerpiece of his campaign — a shift toward newer voices after Hamon's long tenure in local government. If the margins flip as additional ballots are counted, the city could instead see experienced institutional hands in Britton and Bausch.

Either way, North County residents won't have to wait long for clarity. Updated counts from the San Luis Obispo County elections office will continue rolling out in the coming days, and final certified results typically follow in the weeks after the election. Atascadero voters watching their own city's future would do well to keep an eye on the next-door tally — in a region this interconnected, Paso Robles' choices are part of Atascadero's story too.