Sonny Dhaliwal is running for another term.
On Monday, the City of Lathrop’s longest-serving mayor – Dhaliwal will be wrapping up his fifth consecutive two-year term this November – announced that he would be once again throwing his hat in the ring to see if the voters of Lathrop are willing to give him two more years at the helm.
Dhaliwal said that he plans on walking into Lathrop City Hall today to pull his nomination paperwork.
And it looks like he may have some competition for the seat.
John Thanh Do, a political newcomer to Lathrop, has taken out nomination paperwork for the mayor’s seat – potentially pitting him against the popular incumbent that is nearing two decades of service to the community that he calls home.
Dhaliwal served on the Lathrop Planning Commission before appointed to the Lathrop City Council in 2005 before being elected to a full term the following year. Dhaliwal was reelected in 2010 and chose to challenge Joseph “Chaka” Santos for the mayor’s seat two years later and has served in that capacity ever since.
In a Facebook post on Monday night Dhaliwal announced that he spoken to his family and was asking the public whether they wanted him to once again represent the people of Lathrop on the elected body – garnering dozens of comments of support and more than 250 likes on the social media platform.
Having the public’s support, Dhaliwal said, has always been the most important element for him when it comes to public service, and while he has talked to other council members in the past about who will succeed him in the city’s top elected spot, as of right now he won’t be facing a challenge from either of the two councilmembers that are up for reelection – both Vice Mayor Diane Lazard and Councilman Paul Akinjo have pulled paperwork for reelection to four-year terms on the council.
Candidates will have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 12 to submit their completed nomination paperwork. Once they do that, there will be a 10-day inspection period where the information contained in the paperwork will be verified by the Lathrop City Clerk to determine whether the candidate qualifies for placement on the ballot.
After the candidate has been fully confirmed as eligible to run, the portion of their nomination paperwork that they choose to make public will be posted to the city’s website alongside any candidate statement that they wish to make in advance of the election.
While Lathrop differs from other small, incorporated cities in San Joaquin County in that it has always had a specific seat for mayor, it also differs from larger cities in forcing an election for the mayor’s seat every two years – meaning that the majority of the seats on the council are up for grabs every two years.
To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
