Candidates qualify for City Council elections
On the final day of candidate qualifying, incumbent District 1 City Councilmember Jim Burch filed the necessary paperwork and paid the fees in the City Clerk’s office Friday to be placed on the Primary Election ballot for Sept. 12.
Burch is seeking another four-year term representing his district.
All 18 candidates running for City Council or mayor have qualified. There are seven candidates running for mayor, four candidates in District 1, three candidates in District 4 and two each in District 5 and 6. Three sitting council members are seeking re-election while District 5 Councilmember Rana Erbrick is vacating her seat to run for mayor.
To qualify, candidates had to file a financial disclosure form, present a valid voter registration card and pay the required fees for the office they seek.
The seven candidates for mayor include Erbrick, Joe Coviello, Derrick Donnell, Michael Hollow, Kevin Koch, April Freeman and Daniel Sheppard.
Mayor Marni Sawicki is not running for re-election.
Graham Morris, John Gunter and James Foraker are challenging Burch for the District 1 council seat.
Jeffrey Jones and Jennifer Nelson are challenging incumbent Richard Leon in District 4.
John Karcher is challenging incumbent Rick Willians for the District 6 seat.
James Schneider and Dave Stokes are running to fill the two years remaining in Erbrick’s District 5 term. Erbrick’s resignation is effective Sept. 7 whether she is elected mayor or not.
The total fee to run for a council seat is $426, which includes a filing fee of $100 plus the Election Assessment fee of 1 percent of the annual salary of $32,600 ($326). The total fee to run for mayor is $516, including a $150 filing fee plus the 1 percent assessment fee of the mayor’s salary of $36,600 ($366).
Three candidates who previously announced a run for office have withdrawn, leaving 18 candidates overall.
The primary election is Sept. 12. The general election is Nov. 7. Early voting dates for the primary are Sept. 5-9 and from Oct. 30-Nov. 4 for the general.
Cape Coral municipal elections are non-partisan, citywide elections, meaning all registered voters may cast a ballot in all races regardless of party affiliation and the district in which the voter resides.
All candidates must be continuous, full-time residents of the city for the entire calendar year preceding their qualification for office and must also reside in their respective districts.
Full terms are for four years.
As of the end of the qualifying period last Friday, candidates for Cape Coral City Council include:
Mayor
Announced:
Joe Coviello (qualified)
Derrick L. Donnell (qualified)
Rana M. Erbrick (qualified)
April J. Freeman (qualified)
Michael Hollow (qualified)
Kevin Koch (qualified)
Daniel J. Sheppard III (qualified)
District 1
Announced:
Jim Burch (incumbent, qualified)
James Foraker (qualified)
John Gunter (qualified)
Graham Madison Morris (qualified)
District 4
Announced:
Jeffrey Jones (qualified)
Richard Leon (incumbent, qualified)
Jennifer Nelson (qualified)
District 5
Announced:
James D. Schneider (qualified)
David A. Stokes (qualified)
District 6
Announced:
John Karcher (qualified)
Rick Williams (incumbent, qualified)