Candidate filing period begins Dec. 7

Mayor, city council and school board seats up for election in 2021

By Traci Chapman
Staff Writer

With Mustang Mayor Jess Schweinberg electing to retire from that office at the start of his next term, candidates who wish to vie for that seats – or other offices set for 2021 city council or school board elections – will file for those candidacy early this month.

What was known as of press time was that current Vice-Mayor Brian Grider would seek the mayoral spot; whether he would need to go through an election would not be known for certain until candidate filing ended. Grider’s seat – Ward 3 – would be up for grabs, and Ward 1, currently represented by Michael Ray, is up for election next year.

Mustang City Charter dictates when each ward seat goes up for election. In 2021, the mayor and Wards 1 and 3 representatives are determined by voters. A general election is set for the first Tuesday in April. Candidate filing for the three seats scheduled for 2021 election begins at 8 a.m. Dec. 7 and ends at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, per charter provisions.

Those filing for the chance to fill those seats must file a candidacy declaration during that time with Canadian County Election Board, located in El Reno.

Should Grider be the sole filer for the mayoral seat, he could remain as Ward 3 representative until Schweinberg passes the torch to him next year. Should two people file for a particular post, that race would be determined in April; any seat that draws three or more candidates would be subject to a February primary election. If an incumbent does not draw an opponent, they continue on without interruption.

If a serving councilmember wishes to file for another seat – such as mayor – and someone else also declares their candidacy for the mayoral office, that councilperson must resign their seat in the interim. That was the case for Schweinberg, when he elected to run for the mayor’s seat that came open when Adams retired – because then-Mustang Planning Commission member Jan Yakish also ran for the seat.

Mustang council elections are nonpartisan and representatives serve three-year terms; those serving on council and other municipal boards do so without any monetary compensation. Each ward selects the representative for its geographic location, while the mayoral race is open to any registered voter living inside Mustang’s 12-square-mile city limits.

Also up for election is Mustang Board of Education Seat No. 1, currently held by Todd Lovelace. Filing for that seat will begin at 8 a.m. Dec. 7, running through 5 p.m.

While school board declarations of candidacy are due the same days as those submitted by anyone wishing to run for a Mustang City Council seat, times differ slightly. All applications must be submitted to Canadian County Election Board in El Reno.