While Santa Clarita’s April 8 City Council election is a little less than four months away, the time for candidates to declare their intentions has begun.

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The filing period for City Council candidates began Monday, according to a statement from Santa Clarita officials.

While a half-dozen Santa Clarita residents have expressed interest in running for City Council, including two of three incumbents, none has filed paperwork yet, according to officials with the City Clerk’s Office.

The filing period is scheduled to continue until Jan. 10, according to the city’s website.

The 2014 election will fill three seats on the Santa Clarita City Council for four-year terms.

Those seats are currently held by Frank Ferry, Marsha McLean and Laurene Weste.

Weste and McLean both have expressed their intentions to seek re-election. Ferry has said repeatedly he does not intend to seek re-election, in order to spend more time with family.

Berta Gonzalez-Harper and Duane Harte have also expressed interest in running.

Financial adviser Dante Acosta; Alan Ferdman, chairman of the Canyon Country Advisory Committee Chairman; Maria Gutzeit, president of the Newhall County Water District; and William S. Hart Union High School District board member Gloria Mercado-Fortine have also expressed interest.

Prospective City Council candidates must secure the signatures of 20 to 30 registered city voters prior to filing nomination paperwork, according to a statement on the city’s website.

If any incumbent council member chooses not to file nomination papers by 5 p.m. on  Jan. 10, the filing period for non-incumbent potential candidates will be extended to 5 p.m. Jan. 15.

Each candidate is required to file a Statement of Economic Interests disclosing investments and interests in real property at the time the nomination paper is returned for filing.

There is no charge for filing nomination papers.

Any city resident wishing to lend their signature to a potential candidate’s nomination paperwork must be a registered voter 18 years of age or older at the time nomination papers are issued, reside in the city of Santa Clarita and be a U.S. citizen. Each eligible voter may nominate up to three prospective candidates.

For a fee, candidates may also prepare a statement to be included in the sample ballot materials and mailed to voters, which requires the candidate’s name, occupation, and brief description of no more than 200 words stating his or her education and qualifications.

The fee is $1,900 for printing the candidate statement, including English and Spanish translations, and is payable when nomination papers are filed.

Prospective candidates should call the City Clerk’s Office at (661) 255-4391 to schedule an appointment for the approximate 30-minute process to obtain or to return materials for candidacy.

For more information on the 2014 Santa Clarita City Council Election or to download an electronic version of the City of Santa Clarita Candidate Handbook, please visit votesantaclarita.com. If you have any questions please call the City Clerk’s Office.

All elected council members will be sworn into office on Tuesday, April 22.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

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