Friends running for city council won't let the race come between them

Mary Sikes and Derik Mundt may be political opponents, but they're friends first.

Both are running for city council in Coronado, California. They first met when Sikes was in charge of the Coronado Film Festival and Mundt was a volunteer, and they didn't realize they would be running against each other until both had filed their paperwork. "She's my opponent, but I love my opponent," Mundt told KGTV.


Sikes, he said, is the "mom of Coronado," and she went above and beyond to help her friend when he was sick with the flu last week. He had to be admitted to the ER and was hospitalized for five days, and Sikes was there daily to check in and provide updates to his mother. When it came time for the final candidate forum, Mundt was still too sick to attend, so she gave his speech for him.

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There's no reason politics has to be dirty, Mundt said, and his bond with Sikes is proof of that. There are six candidates running for the Coronado City Council, and two open seats, so it's possible Sikes and Mundt could soon be serving side by side. "What we've been saying to each other all along is if at least one of us gets on, we know that this town will be in good hands," Sikes said. Catherine Garcia