Stanislaus city council to replace seat after resignation over Charlie Kirk post
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Council voted 3-1 to appoint a resident rather than hold a costly special election.
- Special election would cost $27K–$104K and delay filling the seat until June 2025.
- Applications close Oct 23; council holds Nov 3 interviews and must appoint within 60 days.
The Oakdale City Council is moving on from the controversy around former Councilmember Christopher Smith’s resignation by not holding a special election to fill his vacant seat.
City officials cited high costs, timeliness and public input as the reasons they voted 3-1 to appoint a city resident to replace Smith.
“I don’t think I received a single email expressing an interest in a special election,” City Manager Jerry Ramar said. “Doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist, I’m sure there’s somebody out there that would prefer the special election. It seems like the community values the cost-effectiveness and timely filling of the vacancy.”
Oakdale’s government has been under a spotlight since Smith’s resignation and resurfaced interest in a sexual harassment lawsuit against Councilmember Jarod Pitassi.
Smith resigned from the council on Sept. 18 following backlash over a repost about Charlie Kirk’s death. His resignation came amid national attention on public officials being fired or resigning because of Kirk-related comments.
City officials estimated that a special election would have cost taxpayers between $27,000 and $104,000 and delayed the filling of a seat until at least June. A newly elected candidate then would be able to serve for only a few months, as Smith’s term ends in December 2026.
The process to appoint someone will need to be quick. Applications must be submitted before Oct. 23, and a special City Council meeting will be held Nov. 3 to interview candidates. The council members can make their choice that night. And they may have to.
A replacement for an open seat must be appointed within 60 days of the vacancy. If not, a special election automatically becomes the option to fill the seat, according to the law. The council could, however, schedule another special meeting after Nov. 3 to avoid this.
Justin Biedinger’s name was repeatedly mentioned during Monday’s meeting. He ran for City Council in 2024 but came in third. Only the top two vote-getters, Councilmember Jeff Kettering and Pitassi, were elected.
Five public speakers endorsed Biedinger for the position, including Biedinger himself.
“I’m a Navy veteran, I am a retired Stockton police officer and I built a technology company — a large technology company — that employs software for the military (and) to federal, state, local law enforcement,” Biedinger said, referring to his company Guardian Alliance Technologies. “So I would love to meet with every one of you if I have a chance. I think I’m bringing a ton of experience, a ton, and I do sit on a board of directors, so I do know how this stuff works and we deal with a lot.”
Pitassi endorsed Biedinger for the position but also was the lone vote against the appointment option. Because the election was so recent, Biedinger should just be appointed since he received the most votes out of anyone who wasn’t elected, Pitassi said. He said he based his opinion on the number of emails he got, about 30, in support of appointing the runner-up.
Kettering said he, too, received a large group of emails in support of the appointment option, as did Mayor Cherlyn Bairos. But Kettering noted they were written exactly the same way, “copied and pasted,” and began with the words “we the people.”
“‘We the people’ means everybody in a field, not small groups. It doesn’t mean that if some of you belong to one group your voice is any higher than anybody else’s. It’s all of this community,” Kettering said.
He added that he would have preferred a special election but did not want to burden taxpayers with the cost.
