Grand Terrace City Council Applications Accepted Through Wednesday at 5 p.m. for Vacant Seat

At the January 28, 2014 Grand Terrace Council meeting, the council decided to appoint a member at-large from the community to fill in for the vacated seat previously held by Mayor Pro Tem Bernardo Sandoval who resigned from his position on January 14, 2014. Sandoval decided to give up his seat due to a new private sector position offered to him as the Executive Director of Information Technology for the United Health Group. He shared that the demands of the new job and travel time would interfere with his ability to perform his duties on council at this crucial period of time for the city. The council had a choice on January 28th to hold a special election at a cost of $4,400, hold a special election by ballot at a cost of $55,000, keep the seat vacant or appoint. It was decided that it was not feasible to hold a special election so close to the November 4th general election, and agreed that the appointment process would enable a person to be sworn in on February 25, the same day as the mid-year budget review, which would be the best option. Keeping the seat vacant was never a viable option. The deadline for someone to submit an application is February 5th. The council will interview each candidate at the regular schedule council meeting on February 11th and a selection will be made that evening. Interim City Manager Ken Henderson shared, “If there are an excessive number of candidates, the council may choose to reduce the number of candidates to be interviewed or extend the interviewing process to the following day to keep within the set schedule.” The successful candidate will fill former councilman Sandoval’s seat until November of this year, when his term would have expired. Applications for the seat can be obtained on the city’s website, City Hall, the library or the child care facilities.