Cortland council hears a slate of candidates for vacant seat, moves to executive session to deliberate

The Cortland City Council on Monday, March 9, 2026, held a special meeting to interview residents seeking appointment to an acting council member seat (term through Dec. 31, 2027) created when Councilman Jim Bradley became mayor. After hearing candidate remarks, the council voted to enter an executive session to deliberate the appointment.

The council’s Chair opened the meeting, explained the format and said each candidate would answer three questions — why they were interested, their vision for the city, and what they hoped to accomplish — with three to five minutes to speak. Candidates who addressed the council included Brandon Mullens; Brian Orphan; Chris Bass; Brandon Freeman; a long-time resident and business owner representing JC3 Builders; Robert Wilson; Diane Buckner; and Sean Ruddy.

Candidate pitches centered on a small set of recurring themes. Candidate Brandon Mullens emphasized youth engagement, transparency and managed development, saying he wanted to “listen and learn” and to help implement programs that bring people together. Brian Orphan framed his candidacy as paying forward civic support, listing community programming and a long-term goal of creating a community center. Chris Bass cited two decades of utility-sector work and volunteer leadership in local parades and charity drives and said he would prioritize fairness, ethics and infrastructure maintenance.

Brandon Freeman described a business and technology background and urged data-driven fiscal stewardship and careful planning to support both residents and local businesses. The business-owner candidate representing JC3 Builders highlighted public-safety facilities, parks and encouraging local business. Robert Wilson, drawing on utility- and zoning-board experience, called for drafting local guidance on data centers and contingency planning in the event of major changes to Ohio property-tax policy. Diane Buckner, a retired nurse and Navy Reservist, said she wanted to help residents live comfortably in the community. Sean Ruddy recounted recent local development work and urged investment in aging safety-services facilities.

Several candidates described hands-on municipal or volunteer experience: Mullens noted program-building for youth, Bass and Wilson referenced Ohio Edison and utility work, and Ruddy described working with city staff on a residential development. Wilson explicitly referenced state law and administrative rules when discussing documented utility processes.

Following the presentations, the council moved and seconded a motion to enter executive session “to discuss the appointment of a public official to include city council.” During a roll call read on the record, the following were recorded as responding in the affirmative: Kylie MacGregor; Chelsea Monroe; Kevin Pyros; Scott Rowley; Chris Bosley; and John Sikuri. The Chair stated that no decisions would be made during the executive session and that nominations would occur after deliberation.

No appointment or nomination was recorded before the council left for executive session. The council’s next procedural step, as stated at the meeting, was to return to open session and conduct nominations and any subsequent action.