Nine Cotati residents have submitted applications for the Cotati City Council vacancy caused by the resignation of Councilwoman Pat Gilardi.

Cotati City Councilwoman Pat Gilardi has agreed to step down from her elected post and take a job as district director for Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin.

In a development that may upturn Cotati’s election season, the son of the late California conservationist John Olmsted is jumping into the race as a write-in City Council candidate, billing himself as a ‘fresh voice’ who understands the needs of a small town.