19 Dec Pittsburg Council Members, Not the Public, Will Choose Scales-Preston’s Replacement

“A special election would not be a good use of the city’s funds,” said Vice Mayor Dionne Adams, referring to the replacement of Shanelle Scales-Preston. “I think the appointment process would be a better process for us financially as a city.”  (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

The Pittsburg City Council is saving around half a million dollars by opting to appoint a replacement for Shanelle Scales-Preston when she leaves for the county Board of Supervisors rather than hold a special election. 

Council members unanimously agreed at Monday’s meeting to accept applications from candidates who will then be publicly interviewed in January. The pick would serve out the remainder of Scales-Preston’s term until November 2026.

“A special election would not be a good use of the city’s funds,” said Vice Mayor Dionne Adams. “I think the appointment process would be a better process for us financially as a city.” 

A special election would have cost between $453,156 and $700,332, according to numbers city staff received from Contra Costa County, and likely would not have taken place until May. 

Appointing a council member to fill a vacancy doesn’t happen a lot in Pittsburg, according to City Manager Garrett Evans. Only three council members have previously been appointed to fill a vacancy before, with the most recent being the appointment of Mary Erbez to a seat in 1996. Erbez did not run for reelection. 

“You all should be excited about this,” said Evans. “These are things you might not always know you may do as a council, and here’s one of them.” 

The decision to appoint also means the new council member will take over the role sooner. One timeline from the city shows that their first meeting could be as soon as the beginning of February, which is only a month after Scales-Preston’s departure. 

“There are going to be excellent people here that are going to apply,” said Evans. 

Adams felt the same, saying that multiple “passionate people” would apply to fill the role. 

Pittsburg voters won’t get the chance to cast their vote in favor of a candidate in this case, but council member Angelica Lopez said she still wants residents to voice their comments on candidates in other ways. 

“You guys watching at home aren’t going to get a ballot in the mail to vote for someone specifically, but you’re always welcome to come and attend our City Council meetings or send us letters,” she said. “We would appreciate support for specific candidates that the public feel might be the best fit for the next council member.” 

The application opened Wednesday; to be eligible, applicants must be a Pittsburg resident, be 18 years or older, be a U.S. citizen, and be a registered voter at the time of the submission. Applicants must also submit a Fair Political Practices Commission Form 700. More information about the form can be found on the FPPC website.

Applications for the position will close at noon on Jan. 2, and interviews will take place Jan. 6. Council members will then make their choice at a special Jan. 13 meeting.