Dear Editor,
My name is Richard Ulveling. I’m 35 years old and have called Fort Bragg home for nearly 10 years. I’m a husband, father, grandfather, and local small-business owner. I own and operate Rich’s Auto Clean, a mobile auto detailing business I started in 2017.
I’m running for Fort Bragg City Council because I care deeply about this community and the people who call it home. I’m for the people, and I believe we can make our community stronger by working together to make a healthy and lasting difference.
My faith in God is an important part of who I am and motivates me to serve others with compassion, integrity, and respect. At the same time, I want to represent and listen to everyone in Fort Bragg, regardless of their faith or background. Every person deserves to have a voice and to know that their concerns matter.
Some of the areas I would like to focus on include working with the City and community to explore safer crosswalks and streets, more opportunities for local jobs, practical approaches to homelessness, stronger support for mental health and substance abuse, and helping create pathways from poverty to prosperity. I believe we should encourage healthier choices while also creating real opportunities for people to become more stable, self-sufficient, and hopeful about their future.
I don’t claim to have all the answers. I believe leadership begins with listening. I want to hear from residents, local businesses, first responders, community organizations, churches, and others who are already doing important work in Fort Bragg. By bringing people together and listening to different perspectives, I believe we can find practical solutions that strengthen our community.
Together, with faith, compassion, hard work, and unity, I believe we can build a safer, healthier, and stronger Fort Bragg for everyone.
Thank you,
Richard Ulveling
Candidate for Fort Bragg City Council
We welcome all candidates to send one letter of introduction, limit 250 words. If we deem a letter to be more appropriate for a news article, we reserve the right to hold it for that purpose. The letter is intended to be a hello to the community or an update on your life and work. . We intend to write a regular news article that deals with controversial city issues.
Our election summary so far—-
Four of the candidates on this year’s ballot — the three incumbents and Mary Rose — were also on the ballot in 2022 for this same seat. Mary Rose finished sixth in that race, with three more candidates behind her, in one of the busiest contests Fort Bragg has ever seen. This year’s race has seven candidates instead of nine, but we’ve heard indications it may still get intense.
Fort Bragg City Council Candidates Certified
The Mendocino County Elections Office has certified the sufficiency of nomination papers submitted by eight candidates seeking election to three four-year seats on the Fort Bragg City Council this November. We give more information on the new candidates than the incumbents on purpose, as the incumbents have the advantage of having been seen and argued about for at least four years now. The candidates are:
Tess Albin-Smith, 75,- Incumbent (We will give more ink to incumbents in the next article, this one was to introduce people running as challengers, some of which are new to the political scene.
Levi Cooke- 36, A relative newcomer who has made a noticeable stir on Facebook and spoke at the most recent City Council meeting. Cooke has burst onto the scene in recent months and is the newest face in this year’s field of candidates.
“I was born in Eureka, raised in Trinity County, and have lived in Fort Bragg for the past 10 years. I’m a full‑time College of the Redwoods student, independent researcher, and app developer who’s become actively involved in local government and community issues,” he told us.
Jason Godeke- 58, Mayor, incumbent. (There is no public vote for mayor in Fort Bragg. All candidates run for City Council seats, and once the election results are certified, the five‑member council selects the mayor and vice mayor from among themselves.
This vote happens at the first organizational meeting following the seating of newly elected councilmembers. The selection is made by the council, not by voters, and the mayor serves at the pleasure of the council for the duration of that term.)
Mary Rose Kaczorowski- Age not provided. Mary Rose has been an environmental activist on the Mendocino Coast for more than 25 years. She is an artist working in several mediums and has a large body of writing and artwork, much of it available online. She has reported for the Mendocino Voice in recent years and has held various jobs locally, including at the Advocate‑News.
Frank and Mary Rose have been co‑workers at several places over the years — the U.S. Census Bureau, the Mendocino Voice, Adventist Health Mendocino Coast Hospital, and the Advocate‑News (though not at the same time).
Mary Rose has run for City Council more than once. In the 2022 race for this same seat, she finished sixth. That contest had nine candidates; three of those same candidates are running again this November. In 2022, Albin‑Smith finished fourth on election night, but edged out Michelle Roberts in the final certified results by three votes.
Scott Mayberry, 62, – Perhaps the best known of the challengers, Scott Mayberry spent his career in law enforcement. He served as Fort Bragg’s Police Chief until 2014, then continued in public service as an investigator for the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office until his retirement from active duty. His father, Joe Mayberry, also served as Fort Bragg’s chief of police, making the Mayberry name one of the longest‑running law‑enforcement families in the city’s history.
Scott has remained visible in the community since retiring, and with the supporters and reputation he has built over decades, he enters this race as one of the more recognizable non‑incumbent candidates. Many residents know him from his years in uniform, his administrative leadership at the police department, and his later work for the DA’s office.
Marcia Rafanan-49, Incumbent- Vice Mayor
Mary Ann Schmidt, 62 Mary Ann Schmidt moved to Fort Bragg a few years ago from New Hyde Park, New York, and has become an active member of the local arts community. Her Facebook profile describes her as a “Storyteller, Advocate of cognitive sovereignty, Dragon Dreamer, Lover of Life,” a mix that reflects the creative, eclectic presence she has brought to town since arriving.
Mary Ann participates in local arts events and circles, and is known among artists for her enthusiasm, her imaginative framing of ideas, and her willingness to jump into community projects.
Richard Ulveling, 35, Richard Ulveling is a local business owner who runs Richard’s Auto Clean, a mobile car‑detailing service. Richard is originally from the Portland, Oregon area, where he grew up, and has lived in Fort Bragg for more than ten years.
Richard is known locally through his business and his work around town, and enters the race as one of the younger candidates in this year’s field.
Information about the candidates and the November 2026 election is posted on the City’s official website: City of Fort Bragg website
