As Stanislaus County now prepares for the next election, candidates interested in running for office during the Nov. 4, 2014 Gubernatorial General Election are urged to apply during the filing period which runs from July 14 through Aug. 8, 2014. Candidates, including incumbents, must file nomination documents during this period in order to run for office and appear on the ballot.
Lee Lundrigan, Stanislaus County Clerk Recorder & Registrar of Voters, encourages citizens to learn about the applicant process and consider becoming a candidate for office.
Three men have announced that they have intentions to run for Turlock City Mayor: Gary Soiseth, Ed Brault, and Mike Brem.
Soiseth is a third generation family farmer from Turlock, who grows almonds for Blue Diamond, works as a water and energy regulatory analyst for the Modesto Irrigation District, and has also worked in Afghanistan for both the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Defense, formally announced his candidacy March 24.
Lazar previously announced his candidacy, but then dropped out of the race shortly after Soiseth announced his intention to run, stating he wished to spend more time with his family.
Brault, a retired teacher, announced his candidacy soon after Soiseth for Mayor of Turlock for the sake of preventing a single candidate in the race. He formerly stated that he would drop out should another challenger appear, but has yet to officially clarify his intention.
Brem, who recently retired from his position as president at SupHerb Farms, the frozen herb and specialty vegetable processor company he founded 1992, filed a candidate intention statement June 3. Brem is formerly a 14-year member of the Turlock Planning Commission, chair of the Turlock Mayor’s Economic Development Task Force, the past president of the Rotary Club of Turlock, and a member of the Turlock Chamber of Commerce Government Relations Committee.
For City Council, there are currently three men who have made their intention to run known: incumbents Forrest White and Bill DeHart, and newcomer Matthew Jacob.
White, who has served as the city’s representative on the Stanislaus County Council of Governments, the local transportation authority, officially announced he will be seeking reelection in May. He is an advocate of putting a road tax before voters on the November ballot, and of programs which would empower communities to form benefit assessment districts and pay for their own road maintenance. As retired CEO of the San Joaquin County Fair, White was first elected to council in 2010.
DeHart, who served with the United States Marine Corps as a commissioned officer for nearly twenty years as a helicopter pilot and airborne Marine began working on the Covenant Village Turlock team in April of 2008, filed his candidate intention statement in mid-April, although he has not yet formally announced his campaign for reelection. He has served as the Director of Marketing at Covenant, and most recently as the Director of Church Relations and Community Outreach (Development). DeHart was originally elected onto City Council in 2010.
Jacob, who announced his candidacy earlier this month, is a Turlock native who runs a small business, and sits on the City of Turlock Mayor’s Economic Development Task Force and on the Stanislaus County Equal Rights Commission.
Turlock City Clerk’s page on the City of Turlock’s website links to “current candidates” as of June 4. The list shows people who have filed candidate intention statement forms and/or campaign organization forms for the City of Turlock General Municipal Election set for Nov. 4, 2014.
Documents with candidate information such as sign regulations, important calendar dates, and campaign guidelines are provided on the City Clerk’s page. The information is currently outdated but is expected to be updated soon.
A link to the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) is on the page as well. The FPPC is responsible for campaign finance and spending, financial conflict of interest, gifts to public officials and candidates, and more. The Commission also investigates violations of the Political Reform Act.
The Stanislaus County elections web page is also provided on the City Clerk’s page, that includes information on candidates, ballots, and other aspects of the election by district. Lundrigan encourages voters interested in becoming candidates to stop by the County Clerk-Recorder/Elections Office at 1021 I St., Room 101, Modesto between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., or to call the office at 209-525-5200, or 209-525-5230 for assistance in Spanish.
More information is available on the Elections Office website at www.StanVote.com.
