The seats – currently held by Mayor Jim Irwin and Councilman Ron Bertsch – will be on the ballot Nov. 2.
City Clerk Janel Chapman reported that the filing period opened this past Monday, and will extend until Aug. 6.
She said she's already getting interest from potential candidates.
Irwin confirmed to Lake County News that he will seek reelection. He's currently finishing up his first four-year term on the council.
However, Bertsch, also in his first term, told Lake County News that he will not seek another term.
He said he's had some serious health issues and pointed to the stress of sitting on the council, especially recently as the city has faced tough times. Bertsch said his wife also wants to pursue other activities.
The field forming to succeed Bertsch and seek Irwin's seat already is substantial.
Among those confirming this week that they'll join the race are Tom Engstrom, who retired in 2005 from his post as Lakeport Police chief; Ted Mandrones, who served a previous term on the council; Stacey Mattina, a local Realtor and a Measure I Committee member; and Marc Spillman, and city planning commissioner who also made a previous bid to become a councilman.
George Spurr, who sought a seat on the council two years ago, said he's also looking at joining the race.
Spurr was the first to pick up his papers, taking them out on Monday, and said there's “a good possibility” he will run.
He's spending this week considering it and said he expects to start collecting signatures next week.
Mattina, a Realtor and owner of Konocti Realty, served on the city's Measure I Committee, which came up with proposals for spending the funds generated by the city's special half-cent sales tax.
“Working on the Measure I Committee was a fulfilling experience and sparked my interest,” Mattina said Thursday.
She added, “Becoming a member of city council would be an exciting opportunity to take a more active role in the community.”
Spillman is near the end of his second, four-year term on the Lakeport Planning Commission.
He said he's running because, “I have the bug.”
Spillman added, “I'm not mad and want change and I have no hidden agenda reasons to run. The privilege of a seat without ties is very important to me. 'Don't pollute the position' is the tattoo that should come with any elected office.”
Mandrones, who has one previous term under his belt, chose not to seek reelection four years ago, when Irwin and Bertsch were elected.
The manager at the Lakeport Piedmont Lumber store, Mandrones said he decided not to run again in 2006 when a major construction project began at the store. He said he was concerned then that the project would mean he couldn't give the city the needed attention.
“I just basically pulled out of it for four years and I'm ready to come back,” he said Thursday.
Engstrom, who retired in 2005 after 11 years as Lakeport's police chief, today works part-time at Mendo-Lake Alternative Services, which gives work assignments to people on probation.
He's become an advocate of city retirees, appearing at council meetings to argue against insurance rate hikes. But he said this week, “There needs to be a little more respect and appreciation of the current employees, too.”
With 37 years of public service – including a total of 25 years as a police chief in several communities – Engstrom said, “I've got all this experience and I want to give back.”
One person who won't be running but who was mentioned around the community as a possible candidate is Dennis Rollins, also a former planning commissioner and the current chair of the Westside Community Park.
Rollins told Lake County News that he wasn't planning a run, but appreciated that some people thought he should.
“I've decided that the Westside Community Park is a good thing for me to focus my attentions on now,” he said.
Chapman urged anyone interested in running for the council to pick up nomination papers well in advance of the filing deadline in order to have the time to collect the necessary signatures. Each candidate must be nominated by not less than 20 nor more than 30 registered voters.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with Chapman to review the nomination packet, call her at 707-263-5615, Extension 12.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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