Know Who You're Seating: Windsor Mayor 2026
Windsor will elect a new mayor on November 3. Mayor Rosa Reynoza is not seeking re-election, leaving two candidates: Vice Mayor Tanya Potter and retired educator Rick Massell (Press Democrat).
The mayor helps set the Town's direction on the issues residents are raising most: how much housing gets built, where, and whether roads, water, fire protection, and evacuation routes can keep up. The mayor also shapes how closely the Town works with Windsor Unified on growth that affects our schools.
As with our school board post, our question is simple: who is each candidate connected to, and what have they said about growth? Here is what the public record shows.
Tanya Potter
Tanya Potter is Windsor's Vice Mayor and the District 4 Town Council member, and works as a police sergeant (county voter guide). She and her husband have lived in Windsor for 21 years and raised three children here, and she reports more than 20 years in law enforcement (campaign site).
Prior runs. She ran for mayor in 2020, when Dominic Foppoli won, and won the District 4 council seat in 2022 with 72% of the vote (county election results). Before the council, she was vice chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission and served on the Public Arts Advisory Commission (Press Democrat, 2022).
Other boards. Her campaign site lists her council assignments to regional public agencies:
Sonoma Clean Power Authority Board
Northern Sonoma County Homelessness Task Force
Alternate seats on the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) General Assembly, the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District, and the Sonoma County Transportation Authority / Regional Climate Protection Authority
ABAG is worth knowing about: it is the regional body that divides state housing targets among Bay Area cities and towns, including Windsor.
On growth. Potter's campaign slogan is "Safety. Transparency. Thoughtful Growth." Her site says she advocates "Slow Growth" built around Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. Her ballot statement promises planning codes that make new developments safe by design, investment in roads, drinking water and wastewater, and closing the Town's structural deficit through spending cuts and economic development. In 2022, she said Windsor will always need affordable housing and that new housing must include enough police and fire service.
At a Station Area Plan meeting, residents reported that Potter said she wants to see developments that favor townhomes people can buy and build equity in, rather than encouraging people to get stuck renting long-term.
Standing up on Cora Creek. When Gallaher's 106-unit Cora Creek apartments came before the Town on an appeal in 2025, Potter pushed for a closer review of the project's safety design. According to a neighbor who attended the meetings, she secured several changes: apartment entrances visible from outside rather than tucked along interior hallways, four clearly marked pedestrian entrances from the Town's planned pathway, see-through wrought-iron fencing, and electronic keypads so police, fire, and EMS can get into the buildings. The project still went forward, but those changes reflect the "safety by design" approach she campaigns on.
Connections. We found no public record of business or board ties between Potter and housing developers.
Who funds her campaigns: no developers. We reviewed Potter's campaign filings with the Town of Windsor for her 2022 council race and her 2026 mayor race (campaign statements portal). Not one contribution comes from a developer, builder, real estate firm, or Gallaher entity. Her largest backers are public safety groups and herself:
Sonoma County Deputy Sheriffs' Association: $250 in 2022 and $500 in 2026
Santa Rosa firefighters (IAFF Local 1401): $250 in 2022
Tanya Potter herself: $250 in 2022, plus $200 and a $1,500 loan to her own mayoral campaign in 2026
The rest came from individuals, mostly in Sonoma County, giving $100 to $250 each. Her entire 2022 campaign raised under $4,000.
Rick Massell
Rick Massell is running as a retired educator. He filed his intention to run on August 6 and qualified on August 11, during the extended filing period after Mayor Reynoza decided not to run (Town of Windsor). He did not submit a candidate statement for the voter guide.
We found no prior runs for Windsor office, no news coverage, and no public record of business ties, board seats, or developer connections.
Who funds his campaign? As of our review of the Town's campaign statements portal in October 2026, Massell had reported no campaign contributions, so there is no developer money and no other outside money to report.
That is not a mark against him, but it does mean voters have little to go on. If you see Rick at a forum or on your doorstep, ask him the questions below.
Questions to ask both candidates
Do you have any business, board or financial ties to developers doing business in Windsor?
Will you accept campaign contributions from developers or their affiliates?
Should the Town rezone the former Windsor Creek Elementary site for housing?
How will you make sure roads, water, wastewater and evacuation routes keep pace with new housing?
Do you favor ownership housing like townhomes, rental apartments, or both, and where?
How will you work with Windsor Unified on growth, school capacity and safe routes to school?
Vote November 3. Know who you're seating.
Sources
This post is not paid for by or in support of any candidate. It is meant to create transparency and help residents understand candidates and who is funding them.