Staff member outlines council procedures for filling vacancies

A staff member outlined how the council fills vacancies under the charter and council rules, citing Charter section 28 and Section 7 of the council rules.

The staff member said the rules treat vacancies differently depending on how much of the term remains: "If the vacancy occurs and less than one half of the term is remaining, council will elect a qualified individual to serve out the remainder of the term." By contrast, "If the vacancy occurs and more than half of the term remains, elections are held at the next regularly scheduled primary and general elections," the staff member said.

The staff member added that if the next regularly scheduled primary and general elections are more than 60 days away, "council will elect a qualified person to fill the vacancy until those elections." They also said, "If council does not fill the vacancy within 30 days, the mayor will fill it by appointment."

On internal procedures, the staff member said the council will pass a resolution setting the date for a council election to fill the vacancy and that those wishing to be considered must "apply in writing." The president of council determines the application deadline, and the clerk prepares ballots listing the candidates' names. The staff member noted that "these ballots are not secret" and that council members' names appear on the ballots. To win, "a candidate shall receive the vote of a majority of the elected members of council."

The staff member concluded: "I hope this was helpful," and directed listeners to the organization's YouTube channel for more videos.