Seaside Mayor
Ian Oglesby
Occupation: Mayor
Relevant Experience:
- Current Mayor
- U.S. Army
- Investigative Officer, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- County Economic Development Commissioner
- County Board of Education Trustee
- Planning Commissioner
- Councilmember
Personal Information:
- Born in North Chicago, IL
- Wife: Rita
- Seaside resident for 30 years
Website: https://ianoglesby.com/
Social Media:
Oglesby began his career when he enlisted in the Army at the age of 17 before eventually taking a position with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He spent 27 years there, and during that time, he said he learned more about the importance of education and rehabilitation within and outside of a prison setting. For the past 18 years, he said he has served in Seaside as a County Economic Development Commissioner, County Board of Education Trustee, Planning Commissioner, Councilmember and Mayor Pro-Tem.
During his time as Mayor, Oglesby said he fought for building removal on Fort Ord, moved mixed-use housing projects forward, invested $10 million in street and sidewalk repairs, increased funding for new community safety proposals and re-established the youth summer job program and Economic Development Commission. He said he also created the Community Policing Advisory Commission. If re-elected, Oglesby said he will prioritize increasing economic development while keeping taxes low, improving community safety, building low-income housing, reducing homelessness and increasing programs to build healthier communities.
Read his full candidate statement here.
Joseph Smith
Occupation: Hospital System Administrator
Relevant Experience:
- Paratrooper, U.S. Army
- IT Manager, LanguageLine Solutions
- Network Engineer, Natividad
- Systems Administrator, Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital
Personal Information:
- Seaside High School graduate
- Wife: Elisa
- One child
- Served in Iraq
Website: https://electjosephsmith.com/
Social Media:
After graduating from Seaside High School, Smith said he joined the Army and was one of four people chosen to go to the U.S. Army Airborne School. He said he was assigned to a paratrooper unit, led a squad of seven paratroopers and was responsible for $1.2 million in military equipment. Following an injury, he worked as a government contractor in Iraq and provided an armed escort for civilian and State Department personnel. After his time in Iraq, Smith said he went back to school and has spent the past ten years working as an IT manager, network engineer and systems administrator.
If elected, Smith said his main priorities will be affordable housing for low-income residents, creating more living wage jobs, COVID-19 recovery, homelessness and drug addiction/mental health issues, water credits and fixing roads and potholes. He hopes to accomplish these goals by making sure a percentage of all housing is available to low-income residents, developing land to bring in more companies and implement different training tactics for police.
Smith holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications and Technical Management.
Read his full candidate statement here.
Jon Wizard
Occupation: City Councilmember
Relevant Experience:
- Current Seaside City Councilmember
- Public Relations Manager, Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay
Personal Information:
- Age: 35
- Partner: Jessica
- Stepsons: Aston, Tristan
Website: https://www.electwizard.com/
Social Media:
Wizard was first elected to the Seaside City Council in 2018, and he also works as the Public Relations Manager for Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay. In his role as a City Councilmember, Wizard said he has proposed council support for a fully-funded youth summer employment program, hot meals for seniors, recreation programs, health clinics and mental health services. Wizard said he also led the move to establish the first shelter for women and children on the Monterey Peninsula and created a new low-income apartment at the new Ascent project.
Some issues Wizard says he will prioritize if elected include putting the community first, affordable housing and pandemic recovery. He said he will work to combat poverty by creating opportunities for people to earn an income by maintaining public spaces and beautifying the city, continue with food distributions and partnering with school districts.
He holds a Master's in Public Administration from CSU Dominguez Hills, a Master's in Humanities from CSU Dominguez Hills and a Bachelor's in Public Relations from San Jose State University.
Read his full candidate statement here.
