Thirteen Lemoore residents vie for pair of seats on Lemoore City Council. Decision expected Tuesday

Applicants for both districts will have an opportunity to answer questions or make statements at Tuesday night’s (Aug. 6) Lemoore City Council Study Session, slated for 5:30 p.m. The Council is expected to make the two appointments at its 7:30 p.m. regular session.

In District C, recently vacated by first-term council member Chad Billingsley, four candidates are seeking the open seat. Billingsley recently accepted a new position with Leprino Foods, which requires him to relocate to Denver, Colorado.

In District E, where Councilmember Holly Blair’s seat was vacated following her recent arrest, nine Lemoore residents are seeking an appointment to the open seat. The controversial council member technically violated the City of Lemoore Rules of Procedure that call for a council member’s removal if he or she is absent for five consecutive regular meetings without good cause.

Blair is currently incarcerated in the Kings County Jail where she faces several serious charges. She has not attended a council meeting since May 7. The Lemoore City Council, at its July 16 meeting, voted 4-0 to end her council tenure. Blair’s dismissal is the first time a Lemoore council member has been forced to vacate his or her seat.

Perhaps the highest-profile applicant for Billingsley’s District C seat is former West Hills Chancellor Frank Gornick, making his first run for elective office. Joining Gornick are Thomas Reed, a frequent speaker at council meetings, Christopher Schalde, a local teacher and Lemoore volunteer fireman, and 27-year Navy veteran, James Vigil.

In District E, a pair of former council members are vying for the open spot: John Plourde, a police department volunteer who served one previous term as a Lemoore council member and former council member and mayor, Willard Rodarmel, who is seeking a return to the council dais.

Others vying for the appointment are Hugh Allen, a teacher with the California Department of Corrections; Guadalupe Capozzi, a longtime parole agent assigned to Kings County; James Kilner, a former Kings County Fire Chief;  Gwendolyn Sue Landrus, a longtime resident and community volunteer; Patricia Matthews, a volunteer and longtime resident; Shelly Reese, who currently works for the Santa Rosa Rancheria, and Tegan Winters, a Navy veteran, local volunteer, and a homemaker. She’s also in the Navy Reserve.