Three Hollister councilmen Monday announced definitive runs for office in November, while another one said he was “85 percent” sure he will seek another term.
Councilman Doug Emerson announced at Monday’s meeting he is running for mayor and joins Marty Richman, on hiatus as a Free Lance columnist, in the race. Councilman Robert Scattini said he was 85 percent sure he would run for mayor.
Councilmen Ray Friend and Victor Gomez on Monday both also made announcements that they would each run for second terms on the council.Â
Friend will run again in District 1, largely the north side of Hollister where he has served the past three and a half years. Gomez will run in District 4 in the southeast part of the city.
With November being the first at-large mayoral election, there will be just four council districts along with the mayor’s seat to make up the five-person board.
Hollister officials previously approved a district realignment, according to 2010 census figures, in the event voters chose to elect the citywide mayor. Voters in June overwhelmingly approved choosing an at-large mayor with two-year terms, as opposed to the prior system in which the five council members rotated in the figurehead role.
As for the other districts, Scattini in District 2 and Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia in the current District 3, they have two years remaining in their respective terms.
Scattini, if he were to lose the mayoral election, would retain his seat. Valdivia actually now lives in the new District 2 – state law allows elected officers to finish out their terms when district boundaries change – and would have to run in that district if she vies for reelection in 2014, said Geri Johnson, Hollister city clerk.
