By Phillip Pesola–
With the majority of seats on the five-member Citrus Heights City Council up for election this year, the city held a public workshop last month to provide potential candidates with information about what’s involved in serving as a council member and what it takes to become one.
The video of the workshop has been posted to the city’s YouTube page and runs about an hour and forty minutes in length. Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins, who plans to retire from the council this year, led the presentation with some suggestions for campaigning for a City Council seat, along with discussing responsibilities of council members.
Campaign tips
Bruins, who has won election and re-election a total of five times since joining the council 20 years ago, recommended for candidates to focus on themselves and their qualifications, and not paint others in a negative light. She advised having a clear, three-point-or-less campaign statement, and also recommended advertising in local publications and asking any affiliated political party for an endorsement.
The retiring councilwoman also highlighted classes offered by the Fair Political Practices Committee in order to make sure campaigns are run correctly and that candidates avoid “getting yourself in trouble.” She also recommended walking door-to-door and sending targeted mailers to households most likely to vote, using voter history data available for purchase from the county Registrar of Voters office.
Council responsibilities
Bruins said while council members are assigned to specific districts within the city, they’ve made a commitment to serve all of Citrus Heights. She advised that a council member shouldn’t say or do anything that they wouldn’t want to see in print, and that a council member is always representing the city, even in their personal life.
In addition to attending two regular council meetings per month, council members also serve on various city committees that involve areas such as finance and education. Council members are also assigned to serve on various regional boards, including the sewer district where Bruins said she has personally served.
City Council members must also follow the Brown Act, which requires most official business to be conducted in public. No more than two council members are allowed to discuss council business privately, and if a council member has a conflict of interest, they must recuse themselves from that particular discussion.
Council pay
Bruins noted that council members are paid “a whopping $600 a month for our service,” and quipped “so don’t plan on, you know, going to Europe.”
In addition to the council’s standard pay of $600 per month, the city pays up to $600 per month for health insurance premiums. Alternatively, council members can cash-out of the plan and put the $600 into a deferred compensation program.
There’s also a $100,000 life insurance benefit which remains in effect during city service, and council members are also compensated on a per-meeting basis for their service on regional boards.
From 2017: How much do Citrus Heights council members actually get paid?
In a 2017 interview with The Sentinel, Bruins said council members are “absolutely not” paid enough for the time it takes to serve well. She estimated putting in 10 to 25 hours per week in council-related business.
“But we don’t do it for money. We do it for community service,” she said at the time.
City Governance
City Manager Ashley Feeney also shared information about the city governance structure during the meeting, explaining the role of the City Council as providing policies and priorities which represent the needs of their constituents, creating legislation in the form of city ordinances, appointing the city manager and city attorney, and approving the city’s budget.
The city manager’s role as the top executive in the city is to ensure compliance with legislation, direct daily operations, and implement policies and programs initiated by the council. The city manager is also responsible for hiring city department heads and other staff.
Other department heads also briefly explained the roles of their respective departments during the meeting, including Community Development, Economic Development and Communications, Administrative Services, General Services, Police and the City Clerk.
Election Process
City Clerk Amy Van covered an overview of the paperwork and process of running for City Council, noting candidates must file a declaration of candidacy along with a nomination petition with at least 20 signatures from voters within the council district, campaign disclosure statements, and pay a filing fee of $25.
Candidates are also required to be at least 18 years old, US citizens, and residents of California. They are also required to be registered voters and residents within the council district in which they are seeking to be elected. Districts two, four, and five are all up for election this year. (See map)
The deadline for filing as a candidate is August 12. Appointments can be made on the city’s website, and more information regarding the election process can be found there as well. Questions can also be emailed to the city clerk at CityClerk@citrusheights.net or directed by phone to (916) 727-4704.
During the election season, vote centers will be open from Oct. 29 to Nov. 8, with winning candidates being seated on Dec. 8, 2022.
Those interested in viewing a recording of the city’s candidate workshop can do so on the city’s YouTube channel. The recording also includes a 10-minute question and answer session at the end.
