Have any interest in serving on the Lathrop City Council for a brief term to see whether you’re ready to commit to a full campaign?

You’re in luck. 

On Monday Lathrop’s governing body voted unanimously to move forward with appointing a replacement to serve roughly 10 months as a council member after Councilman Omar Ornelas resigned his position at the end of last year. Because Ornelas didn’t serve two years of the four-year term, whoever is appointed will only get to serve until the next general election in November, when they would be eligible to run for the remaining two years left on the term. 

And that could make for an interesting election. 

Because two other full terms will be up for election, the person who is appointed – which will formally take place on Monday, Feb. 1 – will have the option, if they so choose to seek election, they’ll have the option to run for either a full term or the partial term that will be up for grabs as well. 

The council is currently accepting applications of people wishing to serve as the interim member of the council. All candidates must submit their paperwork before Monday, Jan. 18 , at 5 p.m. Interviews will be conducted on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 5:30 p.m. and the decision will be announced at the first council meeting of February.

While Lathrop has had experience with appointing members of the council in recent years – Ornelas was appointed to fill a full four-year term when Gene Neely announced that he would not be seeking the position if he ultimately won, and Councilman Paul Akinjo was appointed to serve the vacancy left by Sonny Dhaliwal’s elevation to Mayor and was subsequently reelected after two-years – it’s the first time in the recent past that a councilmember has relinquished their position before the halfway mark. 

There were three options on the table for the council on Monday – appoint somebody to serve until the November election, hold a special election in June that would only be good until November, or leave the position vacant until the November election. The special election would have cost Lathrop more than $43,000, and leaving the position vacant would have taken away the tie-breaker aspect of the council that has come into play on some of the more sizable community issues since this council was formed. 

Applications from anyone interested in serving the term need to be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 18. Additional information about legal requirements and how to pick up the necessary forms can be obtained by visiting Lathrop City Hall at 390 Towne Centre Drive during normal business hours or by calling the city clerk at 209.941.7230.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.