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Oakdale council approves application-and-interview appointment process to fill vacant seat, 3–1
Summary
After public comment and staff briefing on legal options and estimated election costs, the Oakdale City Council voted 3–1 to accept applications and hold interviews Nov. 3 to appoint a replacement for the seat vacated by Christopher Smith.
The Oakdale City Council voted 3–1 to direct staff to accept applications and hold public interviews to fill a council vacancy created by Christopher Smith’s Sept. 18 resignation.
Staff told the council that under Government Code 36512 the city must fill the vacancy by appointment within 60 days or a special election becomes mandatory. Staff outlined three options — call a special election (cost estimates from prior elections ranged widely), appoint after accepting applications, or appoint after accepting applications and conducting interviews — and recommended either calling a special election on the June 2026 consolidation date or running an application-and-interview appointment process with applications due Oct. 23 and candidate presentations set for a special meeting on Nov. 3.
Residents who spoke during public comment expressed differing views. Linda King urged the council to prioritize candidates with public-board experience and requested that any appointee pledge not to run in the next regular election; other residents urged an appointment to save the city money and keep the seat filled, while some asked for a special election to let voters decide. Several speakers publicly supported Justin Bettinger as a potential appointee.
During council discussion, members weighed the cost of a special election (staff referenced earlier election cost estimates ranging from about $27,000 to more than $100,000 depending on timing) against the benefits of a transparent appointment process. The council ultimately approved a motion directing staff to publicly announce the vacancy, accept applications through Oct. 23 at 4 p.m., and hold a special council meeting on Nov. 3 for three-minute applicant presentations and follow-up questions. The motion passed on a roll-call vote: Mayor Sherilyn Berrios — yes; Council member Gilbert — yes; Council member Patasse — no; Council member Kettering — yes. The council asked staff to publish the notice in the Oakdale Leader, on the city website and social media.
Next steps: staff will publish the application notice and collect applications through the stated deadline; the council will interview applicants at the special meeting and select a replacement under the adopted process.
