CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The lack of enough candidates for the three Clearlake City Council seats up for election in November will leave the current council members to look at options for filling that remaining seat in a special meeting next week.
Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson said incumbent Joyce Overton and David Claffney, who serves on the city’s marketing committee, have qualified to run.
The seats up for election currently are held by Overton, who will be seeking a fifth term; Phil Harris; and Russel Perdock.
Harris had indicated he wasn’t planning to run and so didn’t file by the Aug. 7 deadline, which caused the deadline to be extended to 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Last week, City Manager Alan Flora told Lake County News that Perdock, along with Overton, had filed to seek reelection.
However, on Thursday Swanson reported that only Overton and Claffney had qualified for the November ballot.
She said Perdock failed to submit enough valid signatures to qualify.
To qualify, council candidates have to be nominated by not less than 20 nor more than 30 registered voters.
The same thing happened with Lakeport City Council incumbent Tim Barnes, as Lake County News has reported.
However, while Lakeport’s council has four candidates for the general election, Clearlake is now short by one.
“This is very unusual. I have talked to many clerks today and no one I have talked to has had this happen,” Swanson told Lake County News. “It can be common to appoint members, but there are always enough members who file.”
Swanson suggested that the pandemic’s impacts on civic engagement – including the lack of meetings for many community groups – has created “a very different election process this year.”
The council will consider options for filling the seat when it holds a special meeting at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19.
Swanson reported that pursuant to California Elections Code Section 10229, if there are not more candidates than offices to be elected then the council can either appoint those candidates who have been nominated, appoint an eligible voter who hasn’t been nominated or go forward with holding an election.
In August 2018, when the filing deadline had closed for the Lakeport City Council, only incumbents Stacey Mattina and Mireya Turner had filed to run. Since they were unopposed, the council decided to forgo the expense of an election and appointed them to fill the seats for another term, as Lake County News has reported.
The Clearlake City Council could take similar action this time, based on election code.
The lack of enough candidates comes despite a discussion brought forward by Harris at last week’s meeting to raise the council’s monthly stipend, which currently is $300.
Harris said the raise – which the council reached consensus to have staff bring back as an ordinance at its next regular meeting later this month – is meant to draw more people to serve on the council.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Two qualify to run for Clearlake City Council; council must decide how to fill third seat
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On