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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake’s mayor said Thursday that he is stepping down as he prepares for a move out of state that is necessitated by health issues.
Mayor Nick Bennett’s announcement came at the end of the Clearlake City Council’s Thursday night meeting, during which he and his fellow council members continued fine-tuning commercial cannabis rules and considered equipment needs for the Public Works Department, which is doing more road work thanks to the Measure V sales tax.
He said Thursday’s meeting will be his last, as he and his family are preparing to leave Lake County this Sunday.
“I'm stepping down due to some health reasons I need to have addressed,” he said, adding that the issues are “physical, not mental.”
Bennett, who has served on the council since 2016, thanked his fellow council members, past and present, along with city staff, saying that it’s been an honor to serve.
Bennett received a standing ovation from the council and city officials.
His vice mayor, Russ Cremer, joined with other council members in presenting Bennett with a plaque honoring his service.
Cremer said it had been a genuine pleasure working with Bennett, whose quiet wisdom he appreciated and who had taught him a lot.
Bennett exchanged handshakes and hugs with council colleagues Cremer, Phil Harris, Joyce Overton and Dirk Slooten before adjourning the meeting.
Bennett told Lake County News he and his family are moving to Hot Springs, South Dakota, where they have owned a home for some time.
Hot Springs is the county seat of Fall River County. It’s in southwestern South Dakota and is called the “Southern Gateway of the Black Hills,” with Mount Rushmore about an hour’s drive away.
It’s a big move for Bennett, who has roots in Lake County and was raised in Middletown.
He served honorably in the United States Army before beginning his law enforcement career in the 1960s. He worked at Bay Area agencies including the police departments in South San Francisco and East Palo Alto. In 1996 he returned to Lake County, working as a sergeant at the Clearlake Police Department until his retirement in 2015.
In addition to thanking his council colleagues and staff, Bennett, in a followup Facebook post late Thursday night, thanked his supporters “and even detractors who kept me on the straight and narrow and most of all my family who has always stood beside me.”
Next, the council must decide how to fill the vacancy resulting from Bennett’s departure.
City Manager Alan Flora said a special council meeting is planned at 3:30 p.m. Monday to discuss filling the seat.
Flora said there are two options: Fill the seat by appointment within 60 days or put it on the ballot during the next election, which would be in March.
Based on the practice within the last several years, it’s likely that the council will opt for appointment.
That’s how Bennett himself initially joined the council. He was appointed in May 2016 to fill the vacancy resulting when Denise Loustalot resigned. Later that year, he ran for the seat and was elected.
The council also chose to appoint a new member when Councilman Russell Perdock resigned in February 2018, selecting Cremer the following month. Cremer won his first election in November.
In addition to deciding how to address the vacancy, the council will need to determine its leadership for the rest of the year.
While Cremer is vice mayor, City Clerk Melissa Swanson said that when the mayor’s seat becomes vacant, the vice mayor doesn’t automatically become mayor.
Editor’s note: The article has been updated with a new time for the Monday meeting.
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