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The Rancho Cordova City Council decided to put an unopposed candidate before voters rather than appoint him to the 2nd District seat, a decision expected to cost the city more than $14,000.
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Elliott Stevenson, a Rancho Cordova planning commissioner, was running unopposed to represent the 2nd District, which spans much of the city north of Folsom Boulevard and southeast of Coloma Road. It was the first election for the 2nd District since City Council maps changed in 2023.
During its meeting Monday, the City Council had the opportunity to cancel the November election for the seat and appoint Stevenson because he was the sole candidate to qualify. Instead, the council voted 3-2 to put Stevenson on the ballot.
Rancho Cordova Mayor Garrett Gatewood advocated for holding the election so the community could see that the 2nd District had representation on the council and become familiar with Stevenson’s name ahead of future elections. Gatewood said he had spoken with Stevenson, who preferred to hold the election.
“I think it’s only right, since he took the time to raise the money, get ready, get all the stuff in place, that he should his name on the ballot and get a chance for everyone in the community to vote for him,” Gatewood said.
Councilmember Siri Pulpati agreed with Gatewood and said the election gave voters an opportunity to write in a candidate instead of voting for Stevenson.
Council Members Linda Budge and Joe Little opposed holding the election and voted to appoint Stevenson instead. The motion failed 3-2.
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Canceling the election would have saved the city more than $14,000, according to the staff report. The approximately $650 candidate statement fee paid by Stevenson also would have been refunded.
“It just seems to me that he has earned the right to be here, and there’s no reason to encourage him to spend money or the city to spend money for something that’s going to happen anyway,” Budge said.
Little said holding the election amounted to spending taxpayer money to promote a candidate.
“It does seem like we’re using $14,000 we could spend on something else for the benefit of political name recognition,” Little said. Budge agreed, saying, “Absolutely.”
Stevenson had been endorsed by Gatewood, Budge and Councilmember David Sander, according to a July news release. He was nominated to the Rancho Cordova Planning Commission by Gatewood, according to the city’s website.
The election was scheduled for Nov. 3. Rancho Cordova voters were also set to see a 5th District contest on the ballot, where Budge was running for re-election against two challengers.
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