Only one candidate filed for District 3 seat. What happens now?

By Sara Beth Williams–
As of the close of the nomination period on Friday, Aug. 9, Councilman Tim Schaefer was the only candidate to file papers to run for the District 3 seat on the Citrus Heights City Council, prompting questions as to what will happen on the November ballot for this race.  Schaefer is the incumbent for District 3, and his current term expires at the end of this year.

The city announced on Friday that in the event that zero candidates or only one candidate files to run in any given district race, there are three courses of action that can take place:

If no one has been nominated, the City Council can appoint any eligible voter to the open seat; if only one person is nominated, the City Council can choose to appoint the person who has been nominated; lastly, the City Council can choose to continue the process of holding an election.

According to the city, the council must wait five days past the filing deadline, and then may conduct a regular or special council meeting in order to decide whether to appoint Schaefer or hold an election.

The city further explained that if no person has been appointed by the 75^th day before a municipal election, the election will proceed as scheduled. If the City Council makes an appointment, the City Clerk cannot accept any statements or write-in candidates after an appointment is made.

Any individual appointed to an open City Council seat must meet the regular eligibility qualifications and will serve as if they were voted in through a municipal election.

It remains to be seen what option the city will choose for the District 3 election, but for the District 1 race, because the incumbent council member did not file papers to run again, the deadline for filing for District 1 has been extended to Aug. 14. In an announcement Friday, the city said that the deadline extension only applies to candidates running in the District 1 race.

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 14. Those wishing to make a public comment during the meeting can do so by attending the council meeting at City Hall at 6 p.m. or by submitting a written comment beforehand using the city’s website.