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Cottage Grove board to advertise, interview candidates to fill vacant trustee seat; May 19 interviews set
Summary
The Village Board directed staff to advertise the vacant trustee seat, reach out to former candidate John Williams, accept applications through May 14 and hold interviews and an appointment decision at the May 19 meeting.
The Cottage Grove Village Board directed staff to advertise and accept applications to fill a recently vacated trustee seat and scheduled candidate interviews for its May 19 meeting.
At the meeting the board discussed three options — hold a special election, appoint a replacement, or leave the seat vacant — and settled on an open appointment process. The board amended an initial motion to both ask President Cindy Kelm Nelson to reach out to former candidate John Williams and to open the process to any interested applicants. Applications will be accepted through the end of day May 14 and an interviews-and-appointment agenda item will be on the May 19 meeting.
Why it matters: The board is currently operating with six members; filling the seventh seat will restore the full membership and change quorum dynamics. Board members debated whether to appoint the top vote‑getter from the recent election or to open the process broadly; the board ultimately chose a compromise that includes both outreach to a prior candidate and a public application process.
What the board decided - Direction to staff: advertise the open trustee seat, reach out to John Williams to see if he is interested, accept application submissions by May 14, prepare candidate materials for the board packet, and hold interviews and decision at the May 19 meeting. - Roll-call result: motion carried on a 4–2 vote.
Discussion highlights - Trustee Chris and others said a special election for a short remaining term would be an unnecessary expense; others preferred giving recent voters’ choices weight by contacting recent candidates. - Several trustees urged openness and transparency; one amendment explicitly broadened the applicant pool beyond the two most recent candidates.
Quote - Trustee Heidi Murphy, noting the recent election: “We just had an election 20 days ago. We had somebody running specifically for a trustee seat… to do the same thing and take the person who ran for that role.”
Next steps: The clerk’s office will post application instructions and a due date of May 14, assemble candidate packets for the May 15 board packet and schedule interviews and appointment consideration at the May 19 meeting.
