Sedona City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 14 to appoint Councilor Holly Ploog as interim mayor to serve until the next general election and to appoint Councilor Brian Fultz as vice mayor.

The 5-0 vote followed public remarks from Ploog and a legal overview of the succession process. City Attorney Kurt summarized the council rules and said, “upon the resignation of the mayor, the vice mayor shall assume the duties of the mayor until an interim mayor is appointed by city council,” and that the council must select the interim mayor from among its members by majority vote.

The move placed Ploog in the mayor’s role immediately. Ploog addressed council before the vote, saying the community needs steady, transparent leadership after the recent resignation: “Public trust has been broken community deserves leadership that is steady, transparent, and focused on restoring accountability.” Councilors praised her remarks and her record on the dais.

Brian Fultz, who was then nominated and approved as vice mayor, told council, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve … I look forward to helping you in any which way I can and continuing to work with my colleagues.”

The council also outlined the steps and timeline to fill the vacant council seat left by the former member. Kurt said the city clerk had advertised the vacancy for at least three weeks and left applications open through Oct. 27; staff will return to council on Oct. 28 to choose which applicants will be advanced to public interviews. Per the council’s rules of procedure, advancing candidates and the subsequent appointment requires a majority vote; if no candidate receives a majority to advance, they do not move forward.

Councilors emphasized transparency in the appointment process and agreed to publish the interview questions in the packet for the Oct. 28 meeting. They also discussed practical details about scheduling and whether interviews should be staggered or run with candidates out of the room to avoid perceived advantages.

What’s next: the city clerk’s application period closes Oct. 27, council will vote on which applicants advance on Oct. 28, and interviews are expected to take place in November. Any appointment to fill the remaining term will require four council votes to approve, per the rules described by the city attorney.

Council recorded the appointments and administered the oath of office to Ploog immediately after the vote.