A call for applications has attracted three more candidates for the vacant seat on the Guadalupe City Council.
Jerry Beatty, Eugene Costa Jr. and Joshua Peterson have applied to finish out the term of Councilman Jerry Tucker, who died Sept. 13 after battling several illnesses. There are two years left on his term.
Two candidates — Alejandro Ahumada and Ken Chamness, who ran against Tucker in 2012 — expressed an interest in serving on the council and were interviewed at the Oct. 14 meeting, but neither earned enough votes to win an appointment.
The four members of the City Council will interview the applicants during the meeting that starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Guadalupe City Hall, 918 Obispo St.
All five men have been asked to attend Tuesday’s meeting, City Administrator Andrew Carter said.
Beatty, who ran unsuccesfully for the council in 2006, is a territory manager with Waste Management Inc. He previously worked as senior account executive with Aramark Cleanroom Services.
Costa, a lifelong Guadalupe resident and formerly a paid-call firefighter for 10 years, is employed by the Guadalupe Union School District as a campus safety assistant.
Peterson, who also goes by the name Cody Wolf, runs an online radio station, Omega Republic. He also submitted several signatures of residents who support his appointment.
Ahumada, who retired in 2003, spent 25 years with the federal Bureau of Prisons. He also is a lifelong Guadalupe resident.
Chamness, who spent many years in the military, previously served on the Guadalupe Planning Commission.
The individual appointed to fill the vacancy must get three votes from the sharply divided council.
Time is running out to pick a replacement for Tucker. The council has 60 days to either make an appointment or call for a special election, a costly option the cash-strapped city hopes to avoid. That deadline is Nov. 12.
Adding a twist to the situation is the fact that two council seats — those filled by John Lizalde and John Sabedra — and the mayor’s job are up for grabs in the Nov. 4 election. Mayor Frances Romero chose not to run for re-election.
However, Lizalde and Councilwoman Gina Rubalcaba, who is in the middle of her four-year term, are running for mayor. Three candidates are running for the two council seats: City Clerk Joice Earleen Raguz and former council members Ariston Julian and Virginia Ponce.
Guadalupe voters also are being asked to approve three measures that officials say are critical to the city’s financial future.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
