Three city council hopefuls have pulled papers so far

A week into the application period for Menifee City Council seats, three residents have pulled papers to run in the November election, including one incumbent.

Matt Liesemeyer, council representative for District 2, has pulled papers to run for another term. He is the only candidate applicant in that district so far, said city clerk Sarah Manwaring. In 2014, Liesemeyer defeated incumbent Tom Fuhrman to win a seat on the City Council. He is a former Menifee Planning Commissioner and served as Mayor Pro Tem a year ago.

The only other council seat up for election in November is in District 4, where John Denver is termed out and will leave office. Two candidates have pulled papers so far to run for that council seat.

Gloria Sanchez will run for the District 4 seat for the second time. She lost to Denver in 2014. Sanchez, a resident of the Oasis retirement community, is chair of the city's Senior Advisory Committee and has experience in many city and regional activities.

The other candidate in District 4 so far is Dean Deines, a longtime resident of the Heritage Lake community. He ran for a seat on the first Menifee City Council in 2008 and lost by just 37 votes.

Candidates must gather the required number of signatures and be certified by the city clerk to appear on the ballot. The deadline for candidates to return application papers and be certified is Aug. 10 in District 2 and Aug. 15 in District 4. The application period is longer in District 4 because Denver, the incumbent, will not be running.