Cathedral City is seeking applicants to fill the District 3 City Council seat following the death of longtime Councilmember Mark Carnevale last month.
The council, which has the option to fill the vacancy through a special election, chose instead to first try to fill it through appointment, a decision supported by all of those who spoke on the item during the council meeting.
“An appointment restores a District 3 voice quickly, avoids unnecessary financial burden to the city and honors the principles of serving residents where they are right now,” Angel Herrera, a resident who serves on the city’s Parks & Community Events Commission, said at the December 10 council meeting. “District 3 deserves to be heard again. An appointment is the most timely and responsible way to ensure this happens.”
In order to be considered for the position, eligible residents must submit a letter of interest to the city clerk’s office by 5 p.m. December 29. Letters can be submitted by mail, email or in person. In order to be eligible for consideration, applicants must be registered voters and live in District 3.
The council is set to hold a special meeting at 3 p.m. on January 7 to interview applicants and potentially appoint a new District 3 councilmember to serve the remainder of Carnevale’s term, which is set to expire November 2026. More information can be found here on the city’s website.
“We need to make an appointment no later than January 15, by my counting,” Mayor Gregory said. “So if, for some reason, we are deadlocked, and we take several votes and we need to move that to our next meeting [on January 14], we’ll still be within the time period.”
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Before the start of the regular meeting, the council undertook its annual reorganization, electing Mayor Pro Tem Gregory to serve as mayor and Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez as mayor pro tem for the upcoming year.
“My goal is to keep us on the positive path that so many have worked on and sacrificed to achieve,” Gregory said after taking the oath of office. “And, of course, to be ready for what comes, the opportunities and the challenges, and to move forward with pride, service and excellence.”
The council also recognized outgoing Mayor Nancy Ross, who said serving in the role was one of the greatest honors of her life.
“Over the course of my term, I’ve had the privilege of attending more than 200 community events, each one a reminder of the heart and spirit and resilience that makes this city so special,” she said. “Every handshake, every ribbon cutting, every conversation, has deepened my appreciation for the people who call Cathedral City home.”
Throughout the meeting, the first since Carnevale’s death, the council and countless members of the public honored the late official.
“We are a team, and we work together, but something is absent today that should be here, and that’s our colleague, Mark Carnevale,” Gregory said. “There will be much more to come about Mark, and I’m not going to try to make remarks about how much we will miss him, but all of you who know us, know that we will miss him.”
A celebration of life ceremony is scheduled to take place from 2-4 p.m. December 15 at the Mary Pickford Theatre, 36850 Pickfair St., in Cathedral City. The service will be open to the public and will feature tributes from city leadership, community partners and family members.
Those unable to attend can watch a livestream of the service on the city’s YouTube channel.
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