20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 9-15, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Local officials peel off their professional personas to share their favorite games— and reveal if they are sore losers. By Sloan Campi, Erik Chalhoub, Dave Faries, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Agata Popęda, Katie Rodriguez, Sara Rubin and David Schmalz Play the Game Many childhood memories center around a game of some sort. There are the family game nights that may or may not have ended civilly, depending on the competitive spirit. For those who grew up in the age of video games, a board or card game was the perfect way to pass the time when the electricity was out. Whether those memories are fond or not, they defined the childhood of generations. But why let the children have all the fun? Adults can play games just as the children do. The Weekly’s editorial staff asked public officials and other community leaders about their favorite childhood games, as well as their game-playing habits as adults now that they have actual responsibilities. Every busy professional was a little kid once, with cards, dice or controllers in hand, plotting their next moves. As the following responses show, the little kid in all of us never really goes away. They just need a little motivation to come out and play. -Erik Chalhoub, associate editor Tina Nieto Monterey County Sheriff What was your favorite game growing up? Monopoly—I loved picking different tokens, but the car was always my favorite. Ironically, I now live where the most iconic car events in the world take place: the Concours d’Elegance, the Quail and all the other Car Week celebrations. Monterey Mayor Tyller Williamson’s game of choice as a child was Monopoly. Here, he plays Monterey-Opoly, although perhaps not as it was intended. CELIA JIMÉNEZ
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