Ferndale council votes 4–1 to place charter amendment on November ballot to eliminate resignation requirement for mayoral candidates

The Ferndale City Council debated and, after several procedural motions, voted to place a charter amendment on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot that would remove the requirement for a sitting council member to resign before filing to run for mayor.

City staff and the city attorney briefed council on the technical and timing constraints: charter amendments require review by the state attorney general and the governor’s office and the city must meet state timelines (the transcript cited an August 11 technical deadline for ballot wording and a 60–90 day review window from state offices). The city attorney reminded council that existing Chapter 3, Section 9 already provides a process for filling vacancies by appointment and that additional charter language addressing appointments would likely need a separate amendment.

Several council members said the proposed change aimed to avoid repeated short-term appointments that previously followed resignations by candidates. Others, including a longtime resident who had raised the issue during public comment (Dennis Whitey), argued altering the charter requires careful drafting to avoid creating new appointment problems. Some members proposed tabling the resolution to gather more information from the Michigan Municipal League and compare language used by other cities; others urged proceeding to meet the filing timeline.

After procedural votes and an opportunity to refine language, the council adopted the resolution forwarding the proposed charter amendment to the state for review and to put it on the November ballot. The roll-call vote recorded four votes in favor and one opposed (council recorded votes as: Sabatini — yes; Nicoleki — yes; Kelly — yes; Lasal — yes; Leaks May — no). Council directed staff to continue examining the vacancy-filling language (Chapter 3, Section 9) so any complementary amendment or ordinance could be drafted for a future election if necessary.

Because the proposed change operates at the charter level, any final effect on vacancy fill procedures will depend on whether voters approve this amendment and on subsequent drafting or separate amendments to address appointment processes.