Unopposed Deines appointed to another council term

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Menifee Mayor Pro Tem Dean Deines won’t have to wait for the formality of an unopposed City Council election victory in October. Thanks to a government process available to city officials, Deines was appointed to another four-year council term Wednesday in a special meeting.

Deines, elected to his first term in 2016, was the only applicant for a council position in District 4 this year. According to city attorney Jeffrey Melching, there were not even any inquiries from residents living in that district, which covers the northeast part of town. Because there are no citywide candidates or city ballot measures for District 4 voters to consider in November, council members took the option Wednesday of making the appointment rather than list Deines unopposed.

Melching said adding a ballot item for District 4 voters would cost an estimated $60,000. There will be a city election for voters living in District 2, where four candidates qualified for the ballot.

“The government code states that an appointed council member shall serve exactly as if they were elected to a municipal office,” Melching said. Thus Deines will continue as the District 4 council representative through 2026.

Twice before, only one candidate has run for a City Council district seat. Greg August ran unopposed in 2016 and Matt Liesemeyer in 2018. Both names did appear on the ballot, however, because there were citywide ballot measures upon which District 2 voters had the opportunity to vote.

Wednesday’s action was taken only after the meeting was publicly noticed in advance. There were no comments by residents at the meeting. Melching said nine cities in Riverside County face a similar situation this year because of an insufficient number of candidates.

The vote to appoint Deines was 3-0. Council member Lesa Sobek was absent and Deines abstained.