Incumbents in tight races for City Council

Vista City Council incumbents Joe Green and Amanda Young Rigby were in tight races to hold onto their seats against first-time candidates, in early voting returns on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, the incumbents running for two seats on the Vista Unified School District board of trustees were well ahead in early returns, and the race was close among three candidates vying to f ill a third open seat.

In early results, first-term Vista City Councilman Green ,41, held a small lead over his challenger Liz Perez ,42, a military veteran, entrepreneur and environmentalist. Green represents District 2, which serves residents in the city’s northeast section.

Deputy Mayor Rigby, 58, who has held her District 3 seat since 2012, was trailing Katie Melendez, 26, a social worker who grew up in Vista and attended its schools as a youth. District 3 covers the city’s southwest quadrant.

All four council candidates had expressed a similar set of priorities if elected, including re-energizing the pandemic-troubled business community, solving the city’s homelessness issue and reducing crime and auto traffic.

Three seats on the Vista Unified School District board of trustees were in contention this week. They are in Trustee Area 1, in the northern part of the district, Trustee Area 4, in the center, and Trustee Area 5, in the southern par t of the district.

In Trustee Area No. 1, incumbent and retired teacher Rosemary Smith field had taken a commanding lead over challenger Matthew G. Simpson, a freelancer and independent contractor.

In Area No. 4, incumbent board member Cipriano Vargas, a labor leader and product of Vista schools, was also far ahead of his challenger, William Harold Faust, 55, a 30- year fiscal services technician for the school district.

And in Area No. 5, three candidates are vying for a seat left open by departing board member Rich Al derson. Small-business owner Julie Kelly was leading challenge rs John Murphy, a small-business owner, and Mads Noesgaard, 47, a software engineer and school parent.