Tag: District 3

Key race in City Council election narrows to seven-vote difference

District 3 race will decide which slate has majority
by Yucheng Tang | Posted November 7, 2024

photo by Yucheng Tang
Monica McDaniel at the Green City Coalition watch party on election night.

Nov. 8 UPDATE: The vote gap between Monica McDaniel and Dale Bennett narrowed to just seven votes as of 4:30 p.m. today, with Bennett receiving 3,009 votes and McDaniel 3,002. Updated vote counts will not be available until next week.

Whether challenger Monica McDaniel or incumbent Dale Bennett secures the District 3 seat has become the key question in the 2024 Chico City Council election.

The District 3 candidates are in a tight race; Bennett led McDaniel by only 40 votes Nov. 7, according to the Butte County Clerk-Recorder’s unofficial count that had been updated Nov. 6. The District 3 race will determine which slate will become a majority on the seven-member panel for the next two years.

“District 3 is a swing district and a lot pivots” on the race, said McDaniel, adding that if her opponent isn’t ousted “we’ll just have a lot more of the same. There will continue to be challenges for service providers who want to help the homeless.” read more

District 3: The incumbent and the challenger

Councilmember Bennett ducks interview opportunity with ChicoSol
by Yucheng Tang | Posted October 11, 2024

Northeast Chico’s District 3 stretches from a piece of Lower Bidwell Park to the northern border of the City and westward to Cohasset Road.

The District 3 City Council race feels like deja vu to many Chico voters.

Two years ago, Monica McDaniel and Dale Bennett both ran for the District 3 council seat, with McDaniel narrowly losing by about 200 votes. This year, the two are once again competing for the same position.

McDaniel remembers feeling incredibly nervous while waiting for the results and frustrated upon learning she had lost. McDaniel believes this year there could be a different outcome.

ChicoSol interviewed and photographed McDaniel on Oct. 3. Bennett did not respond to requests for an interview that were delivered in emails and phone calls.

Bennett, as an incumbent, emphasized the City’s accomplishments while speaking at the Sept. 17 Chamber of Commerce candidate forum. He seemed proud of the progress he says the City has made on homelessness, affordable housing and in other areas. read more