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Commission appoints Ricardo Gutierrez to fill Junction City commissioner vacancy after rounds of nominations
Summary
After multiple nomination rounds and ties, the Junction City Commission voted 3-1 to appoint Ricardo Gutierrez to fill the remainder of a vacant city commissioner term. Commissioners debated nomination procedure, the possibility of a special election and procedural deadlines before the oath was administered.
The Junction City Commission voted 3-1 on February 20 to appoint Ricardo Gutierrez to fill a city commissioner vacancy and administered his oath of office.
The decision followed an extended discussion about how to handle a large field of candidates and several rounds of public nominations and votes. Commissioners debated whether to use a ranked or “weighted” ballot, follow Robert's Rules of Order with nominations from the floor, hold a special election or table the appointment for a later meeting. City attorney Stites advised commissioners about statutory time limits and the mechanics of nominations from the floor.
The discussion mattered because the commission must either fill the seat within a 30-day window after the resignation or, if it cannot reach a majority appointment, prepare a resolution to send to the county clerk requesting a special election within 45 days under state statute. Stites said the timeline could run to March 3 or March 4 depending on when the resignation was accepted. He also said a special election could cost the city an estimated $30,000 to $40,000 based on county estimates.
Commissioners first approved a motion to use the nomination-and-vote procedure outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order for filling the vacancy; that procedure passed on a voice vote reported as 4-0. Commissioners then conducted multiple nomination rounds. Early nominations included Bob Story, Lorraine Sinoceros and Alex Tyson; initial votes resulted in a 3-1 defeat for Story and tied 2-2 outcomes for Sinoceros and Tyson. Commissioners debated options after those ties, including tabling the item, holding a special election, or trying additional rounds that same night.
After further nominations and votes, the commission voted to appoint Ricardo Gutierrez by a 3-1 tally. The commission recorded that one commissioner had voted no; the majority vote met the threshold to approve the appointment. The newly appointed commissioner then recited the oath of office on the record.
Commissioners and observers pressed several practical points during the debate: the large candidate pool (about 21 people expressed interest), concerns about open meetings rules if voting were done by secret or ranked ballot, and the legal risk of narrowing finalists without a formal motion. Several commissioners praised candidates’ willingness to serve and also said a special election would be appropriate if the commission could not agree on a majority appointment.
City attorney Stites said he would prepare a resolution to send to the county clerk for a special election if the commission did not fill the vacancy within the statutory window. Commissioners directed staff and confirmed they could call a quick special meeting before the statutory deadline if doing so would allow a legally safer appointment.
The appointment concluded the agenda item; the commission moved on to mayoral nominations and other business.
