Twenty-five people are officially running for mayor of Bakersfield, making the contest to succeed four-term incumbent Harvey Hall the most crowded in history.

City Clerk Roberta Gafford was surprised at the number of citizens who pulled papers to run, and her information packets went quickly. She adds that she feels each candidate is a good person.

The candidates include a silversmith, a truck driver, and former county supervisor. If no one gets 50-percent plus one of the vote on June 7th, the top two finishers will go to a runoff in November.

Kelli Forsch