Home News Local News Council race draws 5 so far

Council race draws 5 so far

Written by Jayson Jacoby August 18, 2010 06:40 am

With deadline six days away, the four incumbents, along with Roger Coles, are possible candidates

Less than a week before the deadline, five Baker City residents are gathering the signatures they need to qualify as candidates in the Nov. 2 City Council election.

That list includes all four of the incumbents whose terms end Dec. 31: Beverly Calder, Dennis Dorrah, Clair Button and Gail Duman.

The other potential candidate for one of the four positions is Roger Coles.

Only those five have filled out the necessary paperwork and picked up signature sheets from City Hall, City Recorder Becky Fitzpatrick said Tuesday afternoon.

To qualify for the Nov. 2 ballot, candidates must gather at least 41 signatures from people registered to vote in city elections.

The Baker County Clerk’s office will check each signature to ensure it’s valid.

The deadline for verifying signatures is 5 p.m. on Aug. 24.

Fitzpatrick reminds prospective candidates that before they start gathering signatures they must first come to City Hall, 1655 First St., to get the required sheets.

Signatures collected in any other fashion won’t count toward the mandatory minimum of 41, she said.

Fitzpatrick said County Clerk Tami Green recommends potential candidates gather at least 50 signatures, in case some can’t be verified.

Fitzpatrick also cautions candidates to not wait until the last minute — or, ideally, even the last hour — to submit signatures to Green’s office.

The 5 p.m. deadline on Aug. 24 is for signatures to be verified, not submitted — and five or 10 minutes might not be enough time for Green and her staff to ensure that a signature is valid.

The three other current city councilors — Sam Bass, Milo Pope and Aletha Bonebrake — are serving four-year terms that expire Dec. 31, 2012.