LODI, Calif. — The Lodi City Council voted Tuesday to have a public appointment process for Shakir Khan's seat following his arrest on election crime allegations.
Khan was arrested on suspicion of election crimes stemming from the 2020 election. However, his resignation is an ongoing debate. After Khan initially agreed with the mayor to resign, he now says he was coerced.
"There was a forced resignation. It was coerced upon me when I was in a booking lobby," Khan said. "That should have never been done. My lawyer is already going to file a federal lawsuit against the city."
The city council website lists the seat for District 4 as vacant with a resignation received on Feb. 16.
The city council discussed options for the vacant seat, debating between appointing someone to the seat through an interview process and having a special election. A third option of leaving the district without representation until the 2024 election was brought up, but council members were advised not to choose that option.
The earliest the council could hold a special election would be November to give candidates time to prepare. The cost of a special election just in District 4 is estimated to be between $25,000 to $50,000.
The council ultimately decided to fill the vacancy with an appointment process where people would interview candidates from the district during an open city council meeting and council members would debate before choosing.
"The steps for applying for the vacancy will be decided upon soon and an announcement will be made as soon as that information is available," Mary Campbell, a city spokesperson, wrote to ABC10.
The appointment process could be done quickly and efficiently to fill a seat with about 22 months left until the next election.
Watch the full meeting here: City Council Special Meeting
Watch more on ABC10: Lodi official Shakir Khan released from jail after voter fraud charges
