Morro Bay could skip its November election after just three candidates stepped forward for three open seats, trading the ballot box for roughly $30,000 in savings.
In an Aug. 19 staff report, city staff recommended that the City Council cancel the Nov. 3 election and appoint the three candidates running unopposed: Mayor Carla Wixom and council candidates Mike Gerson and Zara Landrum.
Morro Bay budgeted $30,000 for the election, and staff estimates canceling it would reduce the city’s direct costs to about $250. But several residents urged the council to move forward anyway, arguing that casting a ballot serves a purpose beyond choosing between competing candidates.
“In government, certain positions do lend themselves to appointment; however, positions such as mayor and council are meant to be accomplished by a vote of the people,” Morro Bay resident Ruth Ann Angus wrote to the council on Aug. 18. “Without your names on the ballot you deprive me and the voting citizens of Morro Bay our right of choice regardless if that choice is only for one person running for a position.”
The City Council called the election in June for one two-year mayoral term and two four-year council seats. Candidate nominations opened July 13 and closed Aug. 7 for mayor. The council filing period was extended through Aug. 12 after an incumbent did not seek reelection for one of the open seats.
When nominations closed, Wixom was the only candidate for mayor, while Gerson and Landrum were the only candidates for the two available council seats.
Gerson is the only non-incumbent among the three. The Morro Bay resident of more than 20 years and business owner serves on the Morro Bay Maritime Museum board and the Lighted Boat Parade committee. In his candidate statement, he highlighted fiscal responsibility, public safety, and preserving Morro Bay’s character among his priorities.
Under California law, when the number of candidates doesn’t exceed the number of offices up for election, the council can appoint the candidates rather than put their names before voters. The council can also choose to hold the election.
Before the Aug. 19 meeting, Wixom told New Times that the situation gives Morro Bay an opportunity to avoid spending roughly $25,000 to $30,000 on races without challengers.
“Since the candidates are running uncontested, there is an opportunity for the council to withdraw from the ballot, as we have no other city ballot measures,” Wixom said.
Morro Bay faced a similar situation two years ago, Wixom said, when three candidates also ran uncontested. But a city ballot measure still had to go before voters, preventing the city from considering the same option.
In a letter to the council, resident Betty Winholtz said keeping the races on the ballot would allow voters to signal their support—or lack of it—for candidates who are otherwise guaranteed to take office.
“Even without a competitor, to be able to vote or withhold your vote from a person seeking election is a form of what the British call a ‘vote of confidence,’” Winholtz wrote.
She also argued that canceling the election would eliminate the possibility of a write-in challenger emerging if circumstances change before November.
Others raised concerns about losing candidate statements from the county voter information guide, particularly with a new council member poised to take office.
“I happen to know Mike Gerson since he is a brother in Rotary,” Angus wrote. “However, my neighbors do not know him, and I assume many people in this community are not acquainted with him. We would like to hear from him.”
Wixom said candidate statements would remain available online regardless of whether the election proceeds. ∆
This article appears in Aug 20-27, 2026.
