Fourth candidate declares candidacy for Elk Grove District 3 seat at city council meeting

Elk Grove City Council District 3 candidate Lynn Wheat. | 

During public comment at tonight's Elk Grove City Council meeting, a fourth candidate for the District 3 city council seat announced their candidacy.

Making that announcement was Lynn Wheat, who is a frequent speaker at city council meetings. For the last several meetings, Wheat displayed a clipboard while making her comments suggesting a possible candidacy.

At tonight's meeting during her comments announcing her candidacy, Wheat showed the clipboard with the word "FILED" on display.

"Tonight, I just want to let you know that Lynn Wheat is running for city council District 3, and I have filed my paperwork," she said. 

With Wheat's entry into the race, there are now four candidates seeking the seat held by Steve Detrick since 2008 when he defeated incumbent Mike Leary. Late last year, Detrick confirmed he would not seek a fourth term.

After hearing Wheat's announcement, Detrick noted Wheat would be seeking the seat he will be vacating. Even though Detrick has announced his support for Spease, Detrick wished her well, saying, "I wish you the best of luck."

For 2020 Elk Grove city council members will be elected on a by-district basis, unlike the from-district system the city previously used. District 3 has a more concentrated area compared to District 2 and 4 and considered more favorable for door-to-door campaigning. 

Along with Wheat, the other candidates are Maureen Craft, Kevin Spease, and Amandeep Singh. As she indicated during her comments, Wheat ran for mayor during the city's first directly elected mayoral contest in 2012, while Spease ran for mayor in 2016, and Craft ran against Detrick in 2016. 

In 2012 Wheat's campaign did not conduct fundraising and was limited to expending no more than $1,000. Wheat said she intends to fundraise for this campaign.

"To make it an even more realistic campaign, I will be going after donations," Wheat said.



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