Politics & Government
Nomination Period for City Election Begins Monday
Livermore voters will choose a new mayor and two city council members come the Nov. 8 election.
The candidate filing period opens Monday for Livermore's Nov. 8 City Council election, when voters will be choosing a new mayor and two council members.
Current Mayor Marshall Kamena terms out this year. He first held elected office in the city years ago, serving on City Council from 1976 to 1985, including a two-year stint as mayor from 1979 to 1980.
He ran for mayor again in 2001 and has since served the city for five consecutive terms.
In 2003, the same election Kamena won a tough battle against his challenger Tom Vargas, Livermore voters passed Measure B, which limits the mayor and council members to eight consecutive years in office but allows them to serve again after a two-year break.
Councilwoman Marj Leider, then a planning commissioner, was first elected in 2003 and thus will also be termed out this year.
Councilman Jeff Williams will not seek another term. Williams won his seat in 2007 against incumbent Lorraine Dietrich. It was the same election in which Leider also beat out Dietrich to secure a second term.
Vice Mayor John Marchand's latest term doesn't expire until 2013 but he has plans to run for mayor. Marchand was first elected to City Council in 2005 after serving on the board for the Zone 7 Water Agency.
Barbara Hickman has announced she's running for mayor again after having lost the mayoral race in 1999 to incumbent Cathie Brown. Laureen Turner, a board member for the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District, has announced her candidacy for City Council.
The mayor's term in Livermore is two years and councilmembers' is four. Each candidate is elected at-large.
Candidate pamphlets with nomination papers and other election forms will be available at the City Clerk's office located inside starting Monday, July 18. There is no fee to file a nomination but submitting an optional candidate statement runs $750.
The deadline to file is 5 p.m. Aug. 12, while the deadline to register to vote for this year's election is Oct. 24.
For more information, contact City Clerk Susan Neer at 925-960-4200.
