Lower Russian River MAC Representatives and Alternates
Nine representatives appointed by Supervisor Hopkins and determined through community application/selection. All members must reside within the district they represent in the Lower Russian River Municipal Advisory Council area. Click here to open an interactive map showing the area boundaries.
What's On This Page?
Forestville District
Representatives
Vesta Copestakes
Contact: vesta@sonic.net
Term: 2022-2023
AdHoc Committees: Vacation Rentals (not currently active), CAG Liaison
Occupation: Retired
Community service experience: Forestville Chamber of Commerce (Board, Vice President, President), Forestville Planning Association (Founder and Board Member), Forestville Education Foundation (Founder and Board Member), Friends of Forestville School (Board Member), Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Sonoma County (Board Member)
Platform: Like many of us who live here, we value what we have and want to protect what makes us unique. That includes our sensitive environment as well as our intimate towns, small schools and bedroom community status. Preserving what we value is how we will keep this place feeling like home.
Goal(s): To be a good representative of my home. I know a lot of people and am a good listener. I believe I can be of service to our communities in a way that represents us as a whole, not just me and my personal opinions, which may not always coincide with others in my community. I know a lot about many issues, have a long history of being involved, so I have a perspective few others have. When I represent Forestville, I have to be clear that we are not all of one voice, but that we can agree to disagree and move forward.
Lisa Nahmanson, Vice Chair
Contact: lisa.rivermac@gmail.com
Term: 2023-2024
AdHoc Committees: Community Clean Up Ad Hoc, Chair
Occupation: Community Volunteer
Community service experience: Volunteer at Farm to Pantry
Platform: Prior to my 20 years as a small business owner and telecomm professional I worked as a legal aid attorney in San Francisco and Alameda counties, a law student advocate at the Homeless Advocacy Project in San Francisco, a bilingual youth counselor for Larkin Street Youth Services and Guerrero House in San Francisco, and a 6th grade teacher in Brooklyn, NY.
To be kind, anti-racist, and listen to and involve as many people as possible in the community and to seek compromise on issues that impact the community.
Goal(s): to ensure all voices in forestville communities are heard and brought to the MAC, the supervisor's office of District 5 and to the county wide government.
Alternate
Lucy Hardcastle
Contact: lhardcastle.lrrmac@gmail.com
Term: 2023-2024
AdHoc Committees:
Occupation: Crisis Counselor, West County Community Services
Community service experience: Forestville Planning Association (President), Soroptimist International of Santa Rosa (Secretary), Association of Fundraising (President), West County Community Services (Crisis Counselor), Food for Thought (Food Fairy and Fundraiser)
Platform: I have neighbors who represent a wide swath of folks who live in the lower River area. Teachers and counselors, artists and bohemians, construction workers and hairdressers. Some are wealthy, but most are not. Many struggle with the cost of living as our special enclave gets pricey. Being 'discovered' as a go-to area after years of neglect is thrilling. To come back from some pretty destructive flooding episodes and shine again is nice. But to be priced out of our homes is brutal. I am a good listener, can see the common threads that bind us together and communicate effectively and respectfully those connections to reach conclusions that work for all.
Goal(s): To fairly represent my neighbors' voices while staying true to my own experience.
Hacienda District
Representative
Vicki Clewes
Contact: vicki.lrrmac@gmail.com
Term: 2023-2024
Ad Hoc Committee: Communications
Occupation: Retired Legal Professional
Community service experience: CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for Foster Children, ACLU, Food for Thought, Redwood Empire Food Bank, volunteer on the MAC Trash AD Hoc Committee
Platform: I would like to help preserve the beauty of our Lower Russian River environment. With the continuing growth of our tourism economy and climate change it is important to manage the evolving environment in a positive way and balance moving forward with growth in a sustainable way. I’m passionate about animals and how they are integrated into our community. I would like to listen to concerns from and about the unhoused and possible solutions that will work for all.
Goal(s): To learn more about my neighborhood and my neighbors so that I can actively listen to concerns and convey them to the counsel.
Alternate
Alice Teeter
Contact: alice.teeter@me.com
Term: 2023-2024
Occupation: Public Health Nurse/Home Health Nurse
AdHoc Committees: Trash
Community Service Experience: Institute of Noetic Sciences Bioethics review board; California Pacific Medical Center Biosafety review board; Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association Secretary for Bay Area Chapter, Red Cross Disaster Services Volunteer Worker, East Bay
Platform: Unite forces to clean up the Lower Russian River!
Goal(s): Assist Hacienda communities including Forest Hills, Hollydale, Mom's Beach and all our neighborhood voices being heard in county discussions that affect our ecology and welfare during good times and in disaster.
Rio Nido District
Representative
Pip Marquez de la Plata, Chair
Contact: pipmdlp.lrrmac@gmail.com
Term: 2023-2024
Occupation: Executive Director, Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County
AdHoc Committees: Roads, Committee Chair
Community service experience: Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County (Executive Director), Friends of Rio Nido (Board President), Sweetwater Springs Water District (Board President)
Platform: I want to represent a district that generally feels overlooked, to work with other community members to find common ground and help facilitate dialogue.
Goal(s): To ensure that the issues that face Rio Nido that have a potential to be solved by county government are heard and that the community feels as if they have seat at the table.
Alternate
Vacant, apply here.
Contact:
Term:
Occupation:
Community service experience:
Platform:
Goal(s):
Guerneville District
Representatives
Nic Pereira
Contact: nic.rrmac@gmail.com
Term: 2022-2023
Occupation: Owner, Spa Dad & Sons
Community service experience:
Platform:
Goal(s):
Joe Rogoff
Contact: joe.lrrmac@gmail.com
Term: 2023-2024
Committees: Chair, Communications Ad Hoc Committee; Land Use Committee
Occupation: Retired
Community service experience: Ceres Community Project Board Chair and delivery angel, Chair advisor for Community Natural Markets, KOWS radio host, KGGV radio host, Whole Cities Foundation, Whole Planet Foundation
Platform: Our diverse community needs affordable housing to ensure we have enough year-round residents to support our schools and businesses, equitable allocation of state and county funds, realistic plans to update our antiquated infrastructure, and proactive planning for climate change and its effects on our environment.
Goal(s): I hope to be a conduit of information flow through meetings, the River Talk radio show, social media and every way I can. I would like more of the community to be aware of county initiatives and upcoming decisions, and for their voices to reach our supervisor and county agencies. I’d like to be an ear and an advocate for Guerneville.
Alternate - Kathleen Dahl
Contact: kathleendahl527@hotmail.com
Term: 2023-2024
Occupation: Reservationist at Casini Ranch Family Campground (background in Banking and long-time Legal Assistant)
Community Service Experience: Guerneville Elementary School Board Member (8 years). Parent Volunteer at Guerneville Elementary School. El Molino Little League Coach and Board Member. Russian River Soccer Board Member.
Platform: Hunger and children in our Community/Volunteerism in our Community
Goal: I am extremely proud of my time as a School Board Member wherein we instituted the breakfast program. For some students, the only meals they have are at school. I would like to assist in a program wherein all children have healthy food to eat. No child should be left behind hungry! Volunteerism in our Community is extremely important. Anything I can do to help is important to me.
Pocket Canyon District
Betsy Van Dyke
Contact: emvandyke1@gmail.com
Term: 2022-2023
Committees: Communications
Occupation:
Community service experience:
Platform:
Goal(s):
Alternate
Greg Hennig
Contact: ghennig1801@gmail.com
Term: 2023-2024
Occupation: Financial Software Consultant
Community Service Experience: I am using this position as my entrance to community service locally. I am a former Scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts of America
Platform: I believe in listening to my neighbors in the Pocket Canyon area, and hope to find the compromises we need to balance the divergent needs of all in the area. I believe we must strike a balance between being a neighborhood of full timers, summer dwellers, and vacationers. All are important to maintain a vibrant community, both for the residents and business in the Lower Russian River area.
Goals: My first goal will be to advocate for our fair share of dollars to maintain and enhance our law enforcement, fire, and infrastructure needs. Secondly, I believe we need to support those who are not able to find basic needs – food and shelter – and want to accept the services that we may be able to offer. Third, I believe we should lobby our law enforcement to ensure that existing laws are enforced, including things like noise, traffic and vagrancy for those who are not willing to accept services that we may be able to provide. I’m sure there will be other goals discovered as I get further embedded in the community and hear from members of the district.
Monte Rio District
Representative
Cynthia Strecker
Contact: cstrecker.lrrmac@gmail.com
Term: 2023-2024
Occupation: Retired
AdHoc Committees:
Community service experience: Monte Rio Union School District (Board Member)
Platform: I feel that doing this job well means committing to more than just a monthly meeting. It is also necessary to commit to extending ourselves to many groups and individuals within our own community to ensure that we are receiving a well-rounded overview of their needs and perspectives.
Goal(s): I would want to see the river area continue to progress in ways that maintain our diversity, strengthening our relatively strong middle class and safeguard our citizens who are struggling economically.
Alternate - Patricia (Patty) Thayer
Contact: patricia.lrrmac@gmail.com
Term: 2023-2024
Committees: Land Use; Communications Ad Hoc
Occupation:
Community service experience:
Platform:
Goal(s):
Cazadero/Duncans Mills District
Representative
Mike Nicholls
Contact: mcnicholls.lrrmac@gmail.com
Term: 2023-2024
AdHoc Committees: Land Use Chair
Occupation: Community Volunteer
Community service experience: Wisconsin State Vocational Technical Curriculum Task Force (Governor Appointment), River Area Shelter and Downtown Task Group (Supervisor Appointment), River to Coast Children's Services (Board Member), Cazadero CSD (Board President), Access Sonoma Broadband (Co-Chair), Russian River Rotary (Member)
Platform: I have long felt the lower river region has been underrepresented and many times overlooked in the county conversation, which generally tends to be (Highway) 101-centric. Key goals include expanding the county conversation to include the Lower Russian River region and work to assure a greater share of TOT funding is returned to local communities.
Goal(s): To assist in creating new local jobs, reduce the level of distrust held by many with regard to "the county," and to provide a local ear for residents and leveraging worthwhile opportunities with the balance of the board for the good of the region.
Alternate
Tony Goodwin
Contact: tonythecraftsman@gmail.com
Term: 2023-2024
Occupation: Master Craftsman, public servant, business owner
Community service experience: Cazadero Fire. In addition to being a fire-fighting hero, Tony started the GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) in the Austin Creek neighborhood after the Tubbs fires. The neighbors in Austin Creek have developed a local radio network to relay news and check in on each other during disasters. After the success of this example in Austin Creek, teams in Fort Ross, Timber Cove, Cazadero and beyond have purchased radios, set up networks, placed repeaters, and set up procedures for disaster communications.
Platform:
Goal(s): Working to empower the community and show them their voice matters and how important it is to be heard.
Member Representative FAQs
Do you have questions about being a representative for this council?
Representative FAQs (PDF: 92 kB)