Update: Kinsey Rolls to Victory in District 4 Supervisor Race

Steve Kinsey will continue to represent the western portion of Novato on the Marin County Board of Supervisors after cruising to victory Tuesday night in the primary election.

With all 32 precincts reporting, the incumbent in District 4 had clinched it over Corte Madera Vice Mayor Diane Furst, 63 percent (4,739 votes) to 36.8 percent (2,770 votes).

At 10:45 p.m., Kinsey was about to turn to his crowd of supporters and declare victory.

"I'm guessing the stagecoach arrived bringing the votes in from the west," he joked.

Novato was well represented at the Kinsey election night party, ranging including the likes of Eric Lucan, Carole Dillon-Knutson, Jerry Peters and Mike Di Giorgio.

"I told them in very positive terms about this opportunity to continue serving and about how much I appreciated the support," Kinsey said. " ... I think we found out that this was about experience and leadership."

Kinsey, a Forest Knolls resident since 1978, is president of the board of supervisors this year and its most senior member. He gained about 3,000 more Novato residents in his district in September 2011 following an evaluation of 2010 U.S. Census data. Judy Arnold, the supervisor for District 5, subsequently had 3,000 fewer Novato residents in her district.

"I walked the new part of the district and made time to meet those people, and I called the other Novato families in the district," he said. "I didn't take this campaign lightly."

Kinsey's district includes western Novato, all of West Marin, Corte Madera, Homestead Valley, San Quentin Village, and parts of San Rafael and Larkspur.

Kinsey campaigned on a platform of sound fiscal management, transportation leadership, coastal protection and restoration, sustainable agriculture, responding to climate change and prioritizing safety net services for at-risk residents.

On a topic of keen interest in Novato — future housing allotments — Kinsey said he is an advocate of local control rather than force-fed mandates from the state.

"I absolutely understand the importance of protecting community character and holding onto local control, and I will work with those people who are fighting for that," Kinsey said. "I think it's helpful to reveal that there is a group in the community concerned about that, but that's not the primary concern out in the community from what I've seen. It's education, it's that parents don't want their kids doing drugs, it's that they don't want gangs in their neighborhoods. It's going to take experience and leadership to make progress on all those concerns."

Furst, an eight-year Marin resident, has a background in finance, accounting and economics. She took a firm stand against regional housing mandates and campaigned actively on a community-based approach to the controversial issue of future planning.