MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL:

Run For Office

The City of Ferndale is governed by a mayor and a four-member City Council. The term of the Mayor is two years and the term of a Council Member is four years. City Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Monday of each month, at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers. To learn more about meetings and regulations, see our Council rules.

2023 OPENINGS

Elections for Mayor and two City Councilmember positions will occur on November 7, 2023. The positions are:

  • Mayor, for a 2-year term expiring January 1, 2026
  • Two City Council positions, for 4-year terms, expiring January 1, 2028

Interested in Running?

Candidates must be:

  • Twenty-five years of age or older,
  • A citizen of the United States,
  • And a resident of the City of Ferndale at least two years immediately preceding the election at which they seek to be elected for office.

City Council and Mayoral positions are non-partisan and members serve at-large (not representing any particular section of the City).

Start by visiting the City Clerk's Office to receive your nominating packet, which includes:

  • Nominating petitions
  • Calendar of important dates
  • Other useful information.

Nominating Positions

Per Chapter IV of the City Charter, prospective candidates must submit nominating petitions bearing no fewer than 100 and no more than 150 signatures of registered Ferndale voters.

THE STATE HAS STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS FOR PETITIONS. THREE IMPORTANT POINTS:

  • The state has official petition blanks that you must use. They are available at City Hall—you cannot print them at home. Circulators should not sign until after a sheet is filled. Signatures dated later than the circulators cannot be counted.
  • You can only sign petitions equal to the number of seats open. Where any name appears on more petitions than there are candidates to be elected to a specific office, that name cannot be counted for any petition for that office.
  • The state-mandated deadline to submit nominating petitions is the fifteenth Tuesday before the election. No petitions will be accepted after this date and time.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PETITIONS ONCE THEY’RE SUBMITTED:

  • The City Clerk has 5 days to determine the sufficiency of the signatures. Candidates will be notified in writing immediately if they do not have at least 100 valid signatures. As long as the 105-day at 4:00 p.m. filing deadline has not passed, candidates may submit more signatures to make up for the deficiency.
  • There are many statutory reasons a signature may not be valid. It is highly recommended to exceed the 100-signature minimum, keeping in mind no more than 150 can be accepted.
  • In total, the number of signatures submitted cannot exceed 150. Out of the maximum possible 150 submitted signatures, a minimum of 100 must be validated. If a candidate does not meet these requirements, they may restart the process.