Hemet council appoints Connie Clark to fill District 1 vacancy after rejecting special election

Hemet — The Hemet City Council appointed Connie Clark on May 8, 2025, to fill the District 1 city council vacancy, voting 5-0 after interviewing seven qualified applicants. Earlier in the meeting the council voted down a motion to call a special election to fill the seat, 4-1.

The decision followed public comments urging an election and questioning one applicant’s outside affiliations. City staff told the council it received seven qualified applications during an April 23–May 6 solicitation and that the registrar of voters quoted about $34,000 to hold a consolidated special election; staff also read a provision of state law that clarified how long an appointee would serve if appointed now and explained related election-certification dates.

Why it matters: District 1 residents will be represented immediately by an appointee instead of waiting for a special election. Council members debated trade-offs between immediate representation and giving voters the chance to choose the seatholder, and legal deadlines and election-timing rules factored into the discussion.

Public comment and conflict-of-interest concern Two members of the public urged the council to hold a special election instead of appointing a replacement. Connie Coronado said the council should "let the voters of District 1 choose their representative" and voiced concern about…