This past week marked the beginning of student elections season at Los Medanos College.

During its April 18 meeting, the LMC Associated Student body accepted final nominations for the five officer positions on the senate: president, vice president, treasurer, commissioner of campus events and commissioner of publicity and outreach.

Two people, Tabitha Romero and Israel Castro, have been nominated for president, while Richard Stanfield was suggested to retain his current position as treasurer.

The candidates must fill out and return a form accepting the nominations by today, April 22 at 4 p.m. in order to run in this cycle, from May 9 to May 11.

Romero said that she plans on accepting the nomination for president.

“I wish to use all the knowledge and contacts I gained to be the leader the students deserve,” she wrote in an email. “I came into the senate with the intention of making an impact for the students, I feel as though I did my part in making that happen while connecting with the faculty and staff.”

Castro too will accept his nomination.

“My desire is to establish an environment where anyone can flourish,” said Castro. “I hope to be a bridge of acceptance and leadership to the student body. I want to push for a more diverse and protected community.”

The treasurer position is sought after by the incumbent, Stanfield.

Current treasurer Stanfield plans on accepting his nomination, retaining the position he has held since the previous fall semester.

He said his goal this upcoming year would be to help “right [LMCAS’] financial ship.”

“There was over spending last year, which meant LMCAS has been operating on very limited budget,” he said.

His actions, along with those of Dean of Student Success Dave Belman and former AS Advisor Jamila Stewart, seem to be doing the job, as Stanfield noted that “through careful management, we should be 100 percent solvent by summer of 2017.”

Since only three people were nominated for two positions, there will be vacancies for the others.

As per the AS bylaws, Stanfield will be eligible to assume the vice presidency positions should he wish.

Should he decide to accept that transition, the treasurer position will become vacant, along with the commissioner seats.

“I have not decided whether I would accept the VP spot,” said Stanfield.

“If I do accept,” he said, “I would be able and willing to lend my assistance and some experience to a new treasurer.”

Stanfield said that a determining factor in his decision on whether or not to accept the VP position will be how stable the budget is.

“A lot depends on how comfortable with next year’s budget I will be,” he said. “I want to be sure we are on track before I consider leaving as treasurer. I feel obligated to finish the job I started.”

Vacancies in the senate are not uncommon. When they occur, the fix is relatively seamless.

When the senate begins its new year June 1, the leadership will attempt to fill the open positions from the pool of existing senators who were not nominated during this election cycle.

Senators will put themselves forth for the available positions and be subject to a vote within the senate. In the event that more than one person applies for the same position and the senate cannot come to a consensus, a special elections cycle will be held.

According to John Nguyen, Student Life coordinator, the members who will fill the vacancies are subject to the same eligibility requirements that one would have to have had in this cycle.

Specifically, prospective candidates need to have attended at least ten meetings.

Students on campus can expect to see campaigning materials posted around campus starting Monday, April 25 at 12:01 p.m., after the noon posting of the official candidates by Nguyen.

The campaigning cycle runs until May 9, when the materials need to be removed by 7 a.m., according to Nguyen.

The elections begin at 9 a.m. and run until May 11 at 3 p.m.

He also stated that whatever materials used by candidates must not be posted within 50 feet of the Student Life Office or any of the computer labs.

According to Stanfield, the AS has allocated money for some voting awareness events, along with events by other groups on campus.

“The LEO Club is doing hotdogs this year for Rock The Vote,” he said. He noted the May 5 event would be “free to registered voters for the US elections.”

-Lissette Urbina contributed to this report