The City of Riverbank will be hosting a Special Municipal Election on Tuesday, June 4. Polls will be open at 7 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m.

The City of Riverbank has had one empty councilmember seat since former councilmember Richard O’Brien was voted into office as Mayor in the November 2012 election. After taking the Mayor position, O’Brien’s council seat became vacant for the remainder of his term, which will expire in December 2014.

Cal Campbell ran for the city council in the November 2012 elections and came in third behind Jeanine Tucker and newly elected Darlene Barber-Martinez in the race that only had two open seats at the time.

Instead of appointing Campbell to the newly open council seat vacated by O’Brien, the council split on how to fill it, with council members Dotty Nygard and Barber-Martinez preferring the option of a special election.

The nomination period for those interested in running started on Feb. 11 and qualified candidates had to complete their applications by 5 p.m. on March 8.

The following candidates were successful in meeting those deadlines and have been nominated for the open councilmember position: Cal Campbell, retired teacher, Diana Gonzalez, school secretary, and Jeremy Fennell, small business owner.

Each candidate had the option to submit a statement on their behalf and at their expense for the sample ballot. Candidates are not required to make a statement and do so on a voluntary basis. Listed is a preview of each of the candidate’s statements that have been submitted. Candidates Cal Campbell and Jeremy Fennell opted to make statements on the ballot.

Campbell’s statement:

As a Riverbank resident for over five decades, I’ve seen a lifetime of changes come to our City. My wife’s family has been in Riverbank since the 1920’s and began as farm and agriculture processing workers who helped develop these industries. My career as a teacher and administrator for the Oakdale School District lasted over thirty years and included serving as President of the Oakdale Teacher’s Association, as well as the library director, where I administered budgets, policies, and modernization of programs.

Riverbank needs leadership that fairly represents all constituencies, while respecting our past and obligations to prepare for a fiscally challenging future.

I’m confident my life experiences have prepared me to be a councilmember who can work together with everyone to make Riverbank a community we will all be proud to call home.

Fennell’s statement:

I am a 30 year resident of Stanislaus County. As an Eagle Scout I have had many lessons in service to others and learned the value of a strong leadership at a young age. While attending Riverbank High School I was a member of the NJROTC where I served in the leadership role of rifle team commander.

In 2010 while in a down economy we opened our family shop in the Crossroads Shopping Center. Riverbank has seen better days financially and I believe my skills in building a business during a recession will directly carry over as an asset to the city.

I would appreciate your vote, but thank you either way for voting and showing support of our great city.

The ballots will be counted at the Riverbank Community Center, 3600 Santa Fe Street and the public is welcome to view the counting of ballots following the close of the polls on the special election day.

If you are unable to vote in person, applications for a Vote-By-Mail ballot are available at the City of Riverbank, 6707 Third Street. Tuesday, May 28 is the last day to request a Vote-By-Mail ballot. Vote by mail ballots will be processed on June 4 at 7 p.m. at the Community Center; however, results of the vote by mail ballots will not be released until after the close of the polling places at 8 p.m.

City officials also noted that the polling places for this city election may be different from the polling place voters may have visited for the last county election.

There are four voting precincts:

Voting Precinct 1, Christ The King Episcopal Church, 6443 Estelle Ave.; Voting Precinct 2, St. Frances of Rome Church, 2827 Topeka St.; Voting Precinct 3, Riverbank Community Center, 3600 Santa Fe St.; Voting Precinct 4, Crossroads Shopping Center, 2401 Claribel Road, Suite E.

All the polling places listed are handicap accessible and will have assistance provided in Spanish.

For further information, call the City of Riverbank City Clerk, Election Official at (209) 863-7122 or visit www.riverbank.org.

News reporter Virginia Still contributed to this report.