Turlock Mayor John Lazar pulled his official nomination papers to run for reelection from City Hall on Friday.
Mayor Lazar did confirm at a social event on Saturday that he was in fact running for reelection and his second term as Mayor of Turlock. Mayor Lazar’s campaign is under “John Lazar for Turlock Mayor.”
The regular candidate nomination period for the November 2, 2010 election is July 12 to August 6, 2010.
As of July 16, 2010, Mayor Lazar is the only Mayoral candidate to pull nomination papers although Councilman Ted Howze closed his Turlock City Council committee and turned in papers to Turlock City Hall to open a Turlock Mayor committee, “Friends of Ted Howze for Mayor 2010.”
This year’s Turlock City Council election has been referenced several times almost since the last Turlock election, but as recent as last month.
On June 17, 2010 Turlock City Council Members had a lively debate on whether or not to give up their City provided medical insurance, to cut their travel expense funds, and to cut the City’s membership to organization such as the League of California Cities. (Council Members May Give Up Their City Insurance, Would Save $90,000)
In that debate to eliminate any participation in state or national organizations, Mayor Lazar referenced the upcoming election again saying “I hope and I pray that if in fact this Council decides to take this action it will be restored after the November election with a new Council.”
In a Modesto Bee article (‘Turlock takes aim at ex-city manager’ article on April 1, 2010′), both Mayor John Lazar and Councilman Ted Howze reference the upcoming November election as a way to settle their differences:
"Ultimately, I believe it’s going to have to be decided at the ballot box," Lazar said.
"I don’t think it’s ever going to be behind us until a set of elections determines the outcome," Howze said. "I think it’s going to take a complete turnover in political structure to right the ship."
More election news will be reported here on TurlockCityNews.com as it becomes available.
John Lazar Bio:
John Lazar, elected Mayor of Turlock in 2006, served on the Turlock City Council from 1992 – 2006. He held the position of Vice Mayor in 2000, 2005 and 2006.
Lazar also served as a City representative to the Stanislaus County Local Agency Formation Commission from 2000 – 2006 and was the agency’s chairman in 2003.
He was appointed by the Turlock City Council to serve on the Stanislaus County Council of Governments from 1999 – 2000.
In 2000, former California Governor Gray Davis appointed Lazar as local government representative to the California State Mandates Commission. His Term ended in 2005.
In 1976, John Lazar served in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Congressional Page for the late B.F. Sisk. He was employed from 1979 – 1982 by former Congressman Tony Coelho and also had worked as a legislative assistant in Sacramento to the former State assembly Members Gary Condit and Jack O’Connell.
Born and raised in Turlock, Lazar attended Keyes Elementary School, Brown Junior High School, and Turlock High School. He graduated from California State University, Stanislaus in 1981 and is employed as a real estate broker for Coldwell Banker Endsley and Associates of Turlock. Lazar resides in Turlock with his wife, Nellie, and their three sons.
