With 3 Belmont Council Seats Up for Grabs, Newcomers Welcome

[Editor's note: The following was submitted by the City of Belmont.]

Are you considering getting more involved in your community by running for elected office? Does the idea of running a campaign intimidate you? Would you like to learn more about what it takes to become a candidate for office? 

On Monday, June 3, 2013, at 7:00 p.m., Belmont City Clerk Terri Cook will be hosting a forum to provide information about becoming a candidate for offices that serve the Belmont community. For the upcoming November 5th Municipal Election there will be three city council seats available.

Incumbent city councilmembers, Coralin Feierbach, Warren Lieberman, and Dave Warden are eligible to run for re-election. Potential candidates for other offices that serve the Belmont community besides the City Council are welcome to attend.

This forum will be held at Belmont City Hall, One Twin Pines Lane, in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on the second floor. The purpose of the informal workshop is to help demystify the candidate nomination and filing process.

Belmont City Clerk Terri Cook says she hopes to take some of the mystery out of running for city office. “Even though I’m not the filing officer for special districts such as the school board and water district – those are handled by the County Registrar of Voters – I am hoping to encourage people to think about throwing their hat in the ring and run for local office. People in the community have expressed their desire for more information about what it takes to become a candidate for office, because they don’t know enough about the process.

“The County Elections Office holds similar forums, but they are only available during the day, and are scheduled closer to the start of the nomination period. I believe that if people are thinking about doing this, the sooner they have the necessary information, the better informed will be their decision. My forum is going to be held in the evening which will help meet the needs of working people,” said Cook.

The nomination period for all agencies will open on Monday, July 15th, although potential candidates may declare their candidacy at any time by filing the appropriate form with the City Clerk’s office.

The workshops sponsored by the County Elections Office will be July 10 at 2:00 p.m. and July 22 at 10:00 a.m. For more information, please contact the City Clerk’s office at 650-595-7413, or email the City Clerk at tcook@belmont.gov. Additional information regarding the nomination process can be found on the City’s website at www.belmont.gov (see “hot topics” or City Clerk’s page).