Oakdale fills its vacant council seat with first runner-up from Nov. 3 election
Curtis Haney will fill the vacant seat on the Oakdale City Council. He was appointed Wednesday night from six applicants.
Haney, who works as a pilot, will serve through 2022 in the seat formerly held by Cherilyn Bairos. She was appointed mayor last month after J.R. McCarty resigned due to moving outside the city limits.
Haney won on a 3-1 vote, with Councilman Christopher Smith dissenting. He got support from Bairos and council members Ericka Chiara and Fred Smith.
Haney ran in November in a six-person race for two council seats. He finished third, prompting some residents to urge that he get the appointment.
Two other November candidates, Marco Camacho and Cecilia Suarez, also applied for the vacancy. The other applicants were Melissa Brewer, Erika Nichols and Anthony Pratt. Oakdale does not have council districts, so any registered voter could apply.
The council met in its chamber with masks and social distancing required of everyone who was not watching online. Each candidate got three minutes at the podium and then answered questions from the current members.
Haney is a pilot for Level Up Aero, based at Hayward Executive Airport. He told the council that he works on contract and can fit his government duties into his schedule.
“I would like to serve Oakdale and work to ensure that our families live in a safe community,” Haney said.
He also vowed to manage taxpayer money wisely and to preserve the city’s “family-friendly, small town agricultural heritage.”
This story was originally published February 14, 2021 at 12:18 PM.
