With three days left until the close of the candidate nomination period, four trustees for the Ceres Unified School District board have become candidates with no opposition.
Voters of the Ceres Unified School District will be electing four trustees for its Board of Trustees on Nov. 5. The terms of Betty Davis, Mike Welsh, Lourdes Perez and Valli Wigt all expire this year. All four had filed as candidates with no opposition as of Tuesday.
The district eliminated at-large seats and replaced them with trustee areas. Anyone interested in learning about which trustee area they live in may contact the school district at 556-1500 or visit their website at www.ceres.k12.ca.u, click on the Board of Trustees tab at the top, then on Trustee District Information, then on Trustee District Assignment Information.
Ken Lane and Hugo Molina were the only official candidates in the race for Ceres City Council as of press deadline.
Prospective candidates have until Friday to file papers to place their name on the Nov. 5 ballot. Other possible candidates include Don Donaldson and Linda Ryno who both picked up candidate papers this week.
The City Council seats of Lane and Eric Ingwerson are up for grabs. Ingwerson has indicated that he won't run again, which means the nomination will be extended until Wednesday, Aug. 14 for that seat.
Lane serves as the current vice mayor of Ceres. Born and raised in Ceres, Lane, 53, served on the Ceres Planning Commission before being elected to the Ceres City Council in 2005. His community service has included working on the Measure J Committee to pass school bonds which enabled Ceres to build Central Valley High School. A member of the Ceres Lions Club, Lane is employed with MoCal Office Systems in Modesto.
Molino, a member of the Ceres Planning Commission, ran unsuccessfully for City Council in a three-person election in 2011. Molina obtained California state insurance license in 2008. He previously served as a customer service supervisor for Northwest Airlines in San Francisco, was the senior credit manager for CitiFinancial in Modesto and was customer service manager for Auto America Insurance in Los Banos. He presently owns Palmwest Insurance Services in Los Banos. Molina is married with two children.
To qualify as a candidate for Ceres City Council, one must reside within the Ceres city limits, and be a registered voter in the city. Candidates must pick up nomination papers, which must be signed by no less than 20 and no more than 30 signatures of registered voters living within the city limits. Candidates are advised to get a few more than 20 signatures just in case the county learns that "nominators" are actually not registered voters. The city clerk handles the process nomination papers but the county conducts the election, which is expected to cost the city $20,000, charged by the Stanislaus County Elections Division.
Residents of Keyes will be voting for representatives to their Community Services District Board and Municipal Advisory Council. The KCSD seats occupied by William Alexander, Davie Landers and Eddie Jones all expire this year. Harinder Grewal's seat on the Keyes MAC is expiring.
Keyes voters will also be electing three trustees to the Keyes Union School District. The terms of Jeff Reed, Jimmy Emmons Sr., and Audrey Mercer all expire this year.
Ceres Fire Protection District, which contracts with city fire services for a rural belt around Ceres, has an open seat with the expiration of Robert Renstad's term.
Hughson Fire Protection District will be elected two members to its board as will the Westport Fire Protection District. Martin Avila's term expires on the Westport board this year.
Three director positions for the Turlock Irrigation District - from Divisions 2, 3, and 5 will also be on the ballot. Division 2 covers Ceres and incumbent Charlie Fernandes has filed.
Candidates for the city offices must see city clerk Cindy Heidorn at Ceres City Hall. Candidates for all other offices must contact the county Elections office at 1021 I Street, Suite 301, Modesto.Qualifications for most positions include residence in the district and being a registered voter.
For more information on how to file candidacy papers, visit stanvote.com.
