As the recently elected new Oakdale City Council member, Robert ‘Bob’ Amaral, was sworn in to office and took his seat on the dais this week, the nomination period to run for council seats in November officially opened.

Amaral, with 1,059 votes in the June 7 primary election, was the top vote getter in the race to fill a short-term, unexpired seat on the council. He polled the most votes out of five people on the ballot; four actively sought the post. Amaral took the oath of office at the Monday night, July 18 regular council session.

The nomination period for the November election also opened on July 18. A four-year term for Mayor is available as well as two council members seats, each for the full term of four years.

Election day will be Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. The nomination period for the council seats is scheduled to close on Aug. 12 at 5 p.m.

If nomination papers for an incumbent council member are not filed by that date, the nomination period will be extended for five days, through Aug. 17.

Papers for those interested in running for the council – which elects members at-large as opposed to specific districts within the city – or mayoral post can pick up the papers from the office of the Oakdale City Clerk, 280 N. Third Ave., Oakdale during regular business hours.

Qualifications for office include: Must be a registered voter of the city at the time nomination papers are pulled; must be 18-years-old and a citizen of the state at the time of election; must have a domicile within the City of Oakdale; must not have been convicted of a felony involving accepting or giving or offering to give, any bribe, the embezzlement of public money, extortion or theft of public money, perjury, or conspiracy to commit any of those crimes.