Modesto City Council member resigns with seven months left on his term
Modesto Councilman Bill Zoslocki has submitted his resignation with about seven months left on his second and final term on the City Council.
He submitted his resignation Wednesday and said it would take effect as of noon.
“I am approaching the end of my extended 9-year term this November, which is a year longer than what I was originally elected to serve,” Zoslocki, 68, wrote in his resignation letter.
“But now, I need to step aside, unable to complete the remainder of this extended term, because I have sold my house in the district and, after prolonged consideration, determined my future will be served outside my district.”
Modesto council members are elected to four-year terms, but Zoslocki was among those who received an additional year in office as part of the council transitioning from odd to even year elections in 2020.
The six council members are elected by district and are required to live in the district they represent. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote.
Court records show Zoslocki and his wife are in the midst of a divorce. Public records show they sold their home March 2. Zoslocki said in an interview that he continued to live in his council district while selling his home.
He wrote that he appreciated the “many wonderful people I have met and grown to know as friends and supporters of our city. Modesto is filled with so many kind, considerate, giving citizens, who are eager to assist and be part of a solution when our city is presented with what seems an insurmountable problem.”
Zoslocki also wrote about the residents who have stepped forward to help the community when the city struggled to do that because of its budget challenges.
As examples of that, he wrote about volunteer community cleanups, neighborhoods improving park playgrounds and the efforts underway to open the Modesto Children’s Museum and the Awesome Spot Playground, an inclusive playground at Beyer Park that will accommodate children with disabilities.
To those residents who have tried to make Modesto a better place, Zoslocki wrote, “It is with my greatest respect that I can offer to you a bid of ‘thank you’ for making my job as a City Councilman a much better experience.”
Councilwoman Jenny Kenoyer and Zoslocki were both elected for the first time in November 2013.
“He was a big asset to the city,” she said. “He really wants to work as a unit. He wants what’s best for the city. You could talk to him. ... I enjoyed my nine years working with him. He was a good guy. He was a good councilman. ... I just wish him the best of luck in his new venture in life.”
The city charter states the City Council has 30 days to fill a vacancy after a council seat becomes vacant. If the council does not appoint someone, then the seat will be filled by election. The next council election is Nov. 8.
This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 12:54 PM.
