Possible Second Chance in Larkspur Election

With three candidates and three openings for the Larkspur City Council, the political scene seems pretty settled before the November election … or does it?

The Larkspur City Council is likely to take applications to fill one of those slots, since there are only two open seats on the November ballot. The third seat, vacated by the retiring Joan Lundstrom, must be filled by appointment or a special election. A special election would cost $20,000, which would be pulled from the City's reserve funds.

City Councilmember Len Rifkind casually offered in a discussion during last week's meeting that the candidate who fails to win a seat in the regular election would naturally be a top choice for appointment. Other residents are eligible to fill out an application for appointment to the City Council.

Councilmember Kathy Hartzell, who is not running for re-election, suggested to City Manager Dan Schwarz that councilmembers should be polled for application questions.

Mayor Larry Chu, Ann Morrison and Bradley Marsh are on the November ballot. David Kanter, a member of the Library Board, withdrew from the election too late to have his name removed from the ballot.

Lundstrom, who was married Sunday in Colorado, is leaving public office after serving for the better part of the past four decades. She was swarmed by well-wishers before she left City Hall on Sept. 21.