ANTIOCH – In a move that would save the city hundreds of thousands of dollars, Antioch will appoint its next city clerk after Melissa Rhodes resigned last month.

The Antioch City Council unanimously voted on Aug. 12 to appoint a replacement instead of holding a special election, which officials said would be a more cost-effective solution.

Rhodes, who was elected in November 2024, resigned as city clerk on July 30. In her resignation letter, the former city clerk did not state why she left office.

According to a staff report, the city clerk position must be filled by the end of September. Because Rhodes had resigned during the first year of her term, an appointment would only be in place until December 2026.

A special election for a new city clerk would need to take place during the November 2026 election.

If Antioch had decided to hold a standalone special election prior to November 2026, it would have cost about $800,000 to nearly $1 million, according to the city.

During public comment, several residents were in favor of holding a special election. Some felt there should be more transparent measures in place should the City Council appoint the next city clerk.

Councilmember Donald Freitas said he was not in favor of spending money to hold a special election but agreed that the appointment process should be transparent.

Freitas said the city should advertise the vacancy for potential candidates.

“We have these candidates who are interested come before us here in this room, or if there’s another facility, and basically allow the council to ask questions, to probe, and to have these individuals state why she or he should be appointed to this position,” said Freitas. “It’s not unlike what all candidates do with regard to our boards and commissions. The difference is this is a critically important constitutional office at the local level.”

Councilmember Tamisha Torres-Walker said she supported the appointment process.

“I’ve seen it be transparent, and I’ve seen it be public,” said Torres-Walker. “When our former District Attorney Mark Peterson needed to go, the Board of Supervisors had the authority to appoint, but they committed to a public process, and that’s how we got our current DA Diana Becton.”

Torres-Walker also urged the public to participate by attending and voicing their opinions during the appointment process.

Councilmember Monica Wilson said the city had just gone through its budget cycle, and having a special election would be costly.

“I don’t think it’s worth almost on the high end, almost a million dollars,” said Wilson.