GALT, CA (MPG) - With two Galt City Council members declining to seek reelection, three candidates have come forward to campaign for the open seats in the November general election. In another race, high school district trustee Pat Maple will face a challenge for his seat.

The candidate filing deadline for most positions in the general election passed on Aug. 9.

Councilmembers Jay Vandenburg and Kevin Papineau are both planning to step down at the end of their terms, each having served four years on City Council.

The candidates are Mathew Pratton, Tim Reed and Bonnie Rodriguez.

Reed previously sought a City Council seat in 2022, when he got nearly 16% of the vote, coming in last in a five-way race. He serves as Disaster Services Medical Division chief for the California Emergency Medical Services Authority and is chair of the Galt Public Safety Advisory Committee.

Pratton formerly served on the Planning Commission and has held management positions at various businesses, mainly in tool supply and hospitality.

Rodriguez, a member of the Galt Planning Commission, works for Caltrans as a contract analyst. She owns Valley Oak Press.

Asked about his decision not to seek reelection, Papineau said he had planned to serve a single term.

“When I was approached by community members and leaders to run in 2020, I determined that, if elected, I would only serve one term,” Papineau said. “I have served the Galt community for 14 years on the Elementary School Board, Planning Commission and City Council. I’m proud of what was accomplished but I’m also ready to let others step up.”

Vandenburg did not respond by press time to a request for comment.

In the Galt Joint Union High School District, Herald residents and others east of Galt will have a choice of two candidates for the Trustee Area 3 seat. Incumbent Trustee Pat Maple is seeking reelection. Challenging him is business owner Karol Messersmith.

Area 5 Trustee Terry Parker is seeking reelection unopposed.

While there are no competitive races in the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District board of education, at least one name on the roster will change. Current Trustee Traci Skinner is not seeking reelection in Trustee Area 4 and civil engineer Matthew Ward is the only candidate to replace her. Area Trustee Casey Raboy is unopposed for another term on the board.