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Vacant Newman council seat to remain open until Nov. election
Meeting chairs

The Newman City Council has opted to leave the council seat vacated by former Councilman John Pimentel open until the November election.

The Council did have an option of appointing someone to hold the seat for the next five months but decided by a 3-0 vote on July 9 that letting it sit empty was the better option. Mayor Casey Graham was absent.

Pimentel was elected to the Newman City Council in 2020 and the seat is up for election come this November. Pimentel had to resign from his position in May of this year because he had to relocate out of Newman.

The Council had three options for the vacant seat; Fill by an appointment, let it sit empty until the general election or call for a special election by July 31, which was unlikely given the expense that option brings with it and that it would be held on the general election day, which is when the seat will be filled anyways.

Councilman Laroy McDonald voiced that he thought the best option was to let it sit empty until the general election.

“It would run up close on the election anyways,” McDonald said of the timing. “If someone is interested in serving on the City Council then they should get on the ballot.”

The Council faced a similar option in 2022 when Nick Candea had to relocate to Idaho. In that situation the Council also voted to leave it vacant until the next election.

In the upcoming November election, Newman voters will be voting for a mayor, two council members and one treasurer. Candidates must be 18 years old or older and reside and be registered to vote within the City of Newman before pulling nomination papers.

The first day to secure and file nomination papers was July 15. The last day to secure and file nomination papers is Aug. 9. In the event the current officeholder (incumbent) has not filed nomination papers, the nomination period for that office shall be extended to 5 p.m. Aug. 14 for anyone other than the current officeholder.

Nomination papers will be available and shall be filed at City Hall, 938 Fresno Street, Newman, California Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information about the filing process visit https://cityofnewman.com/category/news-and-information/.