DIXON, CA (MPG) - As of Thursday morning, District 4 Councilman Devon Minnema is the only “verified candidate” for Mayor. However, several people have pulled nomination papers to run for elected offices in Dixon. District 3 Councilmen Steve Bird also pulled papers for the Mayor's post while two Planning Commissioners pulled papers for council seats; Kevin Johnson, for District 3 and Don Hendershot for District 4.

James Ward Jr. pulled nomination papers for City Treasurer. They will become official candidates when and if their papers are verified, which means the papers are turned back in to City Hall with the 20 required signatures of registered voters and those voters are verified. The candidates have until August 7 to do that, unless no incumbent in the race is running, in which case the deadline is extended to August 12.

Bird is currently the Vice Mayor and is serving his second term as Councilman of District 3. He won his first term as Councilman in 2012 after retiring from the Dixon Police Department and was re-elected in 2016. He announced his bid a full year ago, giving him fundraising opportunities in line with the Fair Political Practices Commission and garnered support of Mayor Thom Bogue.

Minnema first ran in 2014 at age 19 and was elected in 2016 representing District 4. He is well known for intergenerational engagement on social media and in newspapers, as well as his work on zoning reform. He announced his intentions at a rally on the front lawn of City Hall this past week with fanfare in front of supporters and media including Fox40 news.

Johnson is a local Re/Max Gold Realtor who has served on the City Planning Commission since 2013 and is currently the Chair. He is a past President of the Chamber of Commerce and Dixon Rotary.

Don Hendershot is a District Attorney Investigator, served in Air Force, and coaches softball locally. He also is in his second term on the City Planning Commission.

James Ward is a retired CHP Officer, is a veteran, and is active in the Kiwanis Club of Dixon. Ward ran for the District 1 seat in 2018 on a fiscal responsibility platform.

These are the offices open: Mayor (Elected At-Large representing entire city) – 4-year term; City Council Member District 3 – Four Year Term; City Council Member District 4 – 4-year term; and, City Treasurer (Elected At-Large representing entire city) – 4-year term.

Official nomination documents for eligible candidates desiring to file for offices will continue to be available at City Hall, City Clerk’s Office, 600 East A Street, in Dixon. Candidates must be 18 years old or older, reside and be registered to vote within the City of Dixon. Candidates running for City Council must also reside within the District for which they are running.

There are fees to run if one is planning to do a candidate’s statement which appears in the sample ballot that are collected at the time of returning papers.

To view a map of the four districts, there is no really simple path at this time but you can go online to the City of Dixon and select Elections then scroll down to see an option to click on District Boundaries Map 2016 or go here: https://www.ci.dixon.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/7224/Dixon-2016-Adopted-Map-lg-format?bidId=

Due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, candidate filing is by APPOINTMENT ONLY. Appointments can be scheduled by calling (707) 678-7000. Candidates are encouraged to call as early as possible to ensure candidacy nomination paperwork is completed prior to the filing deadline. Visit https://www.ci.dixon.ca.us/378/Election-Information for more information on offices, measures, and deadlines.