Tim Garman announces campaign for Shasta County’s District 5 in 2026. Supervisor Chris Kelstrom says he’ll run again too.
The former supervisor, who left his seat on the board after redistricting changed the boundaries, will run for the seat currently held by Supervisor Chris Kelstrom. In response, Kelstrom says he too plans to run again. Both welcomed the competition.
“I’m running because the people of Shasta County deserve steady, honest leadership—someone who listens, stays grounded, and works for the greater good,” former Supervisor Tim Garman announced in a press release that came out today, July 28.
Garman, who describes himself as a small business owner and youth mentor who is active in his church, has already served a partial term on the county board. He was elected in 2022 to fill the District 2 seat of former Supervisor Leonard Moty after he was recalled by voters.
Garman’s term ended in December 2024. He stepped down, saying he wasn’t eligible to run to maintain his seat in District 2 because of a redistricting process that meant his Happy Valley residence no longer fell within the lines of District 2. That same redistricting process, he says, is what now makes him eligible to run for the seat currently held by Supervisor Chris Kelstrom, who is representing District 5 through the end of 2026.
Kelstrom told a reporter today that he too plans to run for reelection, saying he did not have further comments about his campaign.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Kelstrom said briefly, referencing the race against Garman. “I’m so glad he threw his hat in the ring. I cannot wait to beat him in the election.”
In his press release today, Garman pledged to “continue delivering stable, community-first leadership focused on transparency, public safety, and responsible decision-making” before emphasizing that he works for the people of Shasta County, not “outside influences.”
Garman’s first campaign was promoted by the same source of outside funding that put Kelstrom and former Supervisor Patrick Jones in power and helped Supervisor Kevin Crye survive a recall: wealthy East Coast donor Reverge Anselmo. The money was not donated directly to Garman’s campaign but helped pay for campaign ads that supported his election.
Kelstrom said today that Garman only won the election in 2022 because of support from himself and Jones. “We did his fundraiser for him,” Kelstrom said, “We ran his campaign.”
Garman agreed, saying Jones and Kelstrom did run the majority of his last campaign but emphasizing that they’re unlikely to support him this time.
“Nor would I ask for their support,” Garman continued, “because I don’t want anything to do with them. I’m sure they feel similarly.”
Kelstrom agreed saying he and Jones supported Garman before he “completely flipped sides” characterizing Garman as having gone “all the way to the left.”
His comments reference how Garman often broke with Jones, Kelstrom and Supervisor Kevin Crye when it came to important votes, including whether to cancel the county’s contract for Dominion voting machines, something the board moved forward with in 2023 despite the opposition of Garman and his fellow former Supervisor Mary Rickert.
Like the majority of Shasta County’s public officials, both Rickert and Garman are long-term conservative Republicans, although county board seats are nonpartisan positions. District 5 includes areas that are among the most rural and conservative in Shasta County including parts of Happy Valley, Cottonwood, Anderson and Shingletown.
Over the last two years, Garman often voted in step with Rickert, who lost her race for District 3 to Supervisor Corkey Harmon in 2024. Speaking to Shasta Scout today, Garman emphasized that his votes represented his conscience, not any particular affiliation.
“Every item that came before me I voted what was best for the people of Shasta County,” Garman said. “I take every item seriously and individually.”
In 2024, Garman and Rickert were also the only supervisors to vote to appoint former Assistant Registrar of Voters (ROV) Joanna Francescut to Shasta County’s top election position. A majority of supervisors chose former ROV Tom Toller instead. He’s since been replaced by election official Clint Curtis, someone whose appointment Garman has also spoken out against.
If elected, Garman said he intends to focus on public safety, wildfire prevention, mental health and homelessness, support for small businesses and restoring transparency and respect in the public leadership process.
“People are tired of the drama and division,” Garman said, referencing current divides on the board over elections and other topics. “They want their roads fixed, neighborhoods safe, and local government that works for them—not against them.”
7.28.25 3:33 pm: We have updated the story to clarify the role that Anselmo’s funds played in supporting current and former supervisors.
Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
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While we don’t know what other candidates may throw their hat in the ring, I think Garman would help himself with the non-MAGA voters by admitting the firing of Karen Ramstrom was unwarranted and wrong. Even after his divergence from JCK he still stood by that vote. I am certainly biased as an ex-HHSA employee and don’t live in his district but would find it hard to vote for him, if there were other options aside from Kelstrom.
The fact that Kelstrom says Mr Garman switched sides is reason enough to vote Kelstrom OUT… There is not supposed to be sides … They are all Republicans anyway . Kelstrom did anything Jones did and does not have a mind of his own … Kelstrom is still doing Jones and Zapata and Woody Clendons bidding .
Mr. Garman and I are on different sides of the political spectrum. Still, I consider Tim a friend. I have watched Time and Mary repeatedly be belligerently attacked by extreme far-right figures like Jones, Crye, and their sidekick Kelstorm, who seem to believe they have a mandate from the people to act obnoxiously (like asses…). While the J.C.K. Cartel was behaving like sniveling punks, both Tim and Mary showed class. They were able to remain composed most of the time. Tim grew and learned, and when he made a mistake, he admitted it, unlike the Cartel that doubles down on their hostility. Tim understands his role is to represent all people, not just the extreme, and with a level of civility often missing in politics today, he made an effort to be respectful to everyone in a nonpartisan way. It would be great for the whole county to have him back on the BOS!
“both Rickert and Garman are long-term *conservative* Republicans”
What evidence do you have to support the use of the “conservative” adjective? “Moderate Republican” far more accurately describes their record unless you’re using “conservative” redundantly to describe Republicans in comparison with Democrats and Independents.
PS: The scene depicted in the photograph occurred July 23, 2024 (the omission of the year in the caption implies it happened last week)
What?
Tim,
What were your accomplishments while serving on the Board of Supervisors?
So glad to hear that someone with more integrity will work for our county again and NOT just be one of the 3 stooges like kelstrom! I told him right to his face he neeeds to work for our county and NOT to be just one of the 3 stooges. My vote will be for Tim, kelstrom is worthless.
Hooray for Tim Garman.
I have emailed, called, and left a message at the office of Supervisor Kelstrom, and have NEVER GOT A RESPONSE!
He claimed he was head and shoulders above his ex-opponent, but not responding to his electorate, taking money from a washed up nobody in Connecticut, and voting with and for the crazy gun nutz to build his too little and not needed gun range in Millville that a whopping majority of local residents oppose is ENOUGH. SLEEPING DURING CLOSED AND OPEN SESSION MEETINGS, how much incompetence do we need at the top? We do not need SLEEPY CHRIS, period
How flippant of Kelstrom. I hope Tim sends that oaf packing. The reason he is so upset is because they gaslit Tim about all these “problems” and when he took that seat he realized very quickly how deceptive that Anselmo funded group is. Tim realized he was being used and voted in the best interests of all the citizens, not just the far right handful that has been holding our local government hostage.
I’m looking forward to the day when politics no longer plays any part in the apolitical, nonpartisan, Board of Supervisors. That is why Jones lost by a landslide. Crye and Kelstrom should not be shoving their politics down our throats like they have for the past 2 1/2 years. Paragraph 3 should read his Happy Valley residence no longer fell within the lines of District 2.
Thank you. Corrected.
It is formally nonpartisan, but boards of supervisors are political bodies and always have been. That’s not a bad thing! Democracy at work!