Sand City's elections this year will go uncontested, with the incumbent mayor set to retake her spot for the ninth-straight year.
The two open city council seats will likely welcome newcomers: Luke Kilpatrick, a local businessman who ran once in 2024 and lost by just three votes, and Justin Rumps, a federal employee and Marine Corps veteran who says he felt called to serve.
While Mayor Mary Ann Carbone brings a wealth of intimate knowledge of city governance to her next term, both Kilpatrick and Rumps have no former governing experience.
Councilmember Kim Scudder, whose term ends this year, is not running for re-election. Councilmembers Michelle Adams and Marilee Diaz’s are mid-term, with terms set to end in 2028.
Justin Rumps works in IT management for the Defense Manpower Data Center, which houses data for members of the military.
Rumps has never run for local office before, but he says he has volunteered locally and is driven by the opportunity to serve other people.
He is running on protecting the coast while also encouraging development that fits the neighborhood character.
“I’ll be the rookie in the room,” Rumps says regarding what he would improve to current governance, saying he found it well-run by the current leadership. “I don’t really know what will necessarily be improved on at this point, but I’m going to listen well and see areas where we can improve.”
Kilpatrick is running on preserving the coastline, finishing the coastal trail, more housing, supporting a cap on short-term rentals and supporting the arts. A short-term rental business owner himself, his campaign website says he worked with the city to determine the cap of short-term rental units to be 15 in 2022.
He also is the author of Mia Kingtide’s Ocean Adventures, a self-published series of books inspired by his daughter about a girl who can communicate with sea creatures.
“I’m hustling and working hard to stay in Sand City, where the members of council are mostly retired,” Kilpatrick said. “We need folks from different lives on the council.”
Carbone is Sand City’s first Indigenous mayor, and pending reelection would enter her fifth term as mayor. She has run unopposed in every mayoral election since 2018. She’s been on the council since 1991, where she started as a councilmember.
She sits on several boards and committees, including the Monterey Bay Air Resources Agency, Monterey County Airport Land Use Commission, Monterey-Salinas Transit Agency and more.
She’s running on completing the South of Tioga project, expanding development in Sand City, making road improvements and connecting the city through trails and bike paths.
None of the three candidates have yet reported any campaign fundraising.
Carbone and Rumps did not report any financial interests in their Fair Political Practices Commission disclosures. Kilpatrick reported yearly income between $1,001-$10,000 for the short-term rental he runs out of the bottom of his house, and $10,001-$100,000 from his dive and photography company.
“I want to make sure everyone’s voices are heard—I’m an open door. If you call me or want to talk, I’m there,” Carbone says. “I’ve been running unopposed. [Residents] are probably happy with what I’m doing.”