Carlsbad residents have until Thursday, Feb. 2, to submit their candidacy for selection to the City Council’s District 2 seat.

The seat was previously held by recently elected Mayor Keith Blackburn. The term ends in 2024.

The City Council opted for an appointed replacement instead of a special election because such an election could not have been held until Nov. 7 with a cost of between $275,000 to $475,000, according to a city news release. The Carlsbad Municipal Code bars an appointed City Council member from running for that same seat until one year after the appointed term ends.

District 2 serves a middle portion of the city from part of Agua Hedionda Lagoon to the north to Palomar Airport Road and Bressi Ranch to the south, and the coastline to as far as Melrose Drive to the east. Although the district map was updated in 2022 based on U.S. Census figures, the appointment to Blackburn’s council seat will reflect the 2020 map in which he ran at the time, the city’s news release noted. District 2 will reflect the new map in 2024.

District 2 applicants are also invited to submit topics they would like to address during oral presentations to the City Council at a special meeting Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. Email topics to the City Clerk at clerk@carlsbadca.gov by Feb. 8 at 5 p.m. Emails will become part of the public record and provided as part of the Feb. 15 meeting materials.

Candidates for appointment must be Carlsbad District 2 residents. Applicants can submit topics they would like to cover during oral presentations to the City Council scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15. Topics must be emailed to the city clerk by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8.

The deadline to submit an application is 5 p.m. Feb. 2. Full information, including supplemental materials, is available online at the city’s website. Applicants can submit topics to the city clerk at clerk@carlsbadca.gov.

In the event the seat is not filled by Feb. 24, a special election will move forward for Nov. 7.