Warren City Council accepts John Barbera’s resignation, sets 30‑day appointment process

The Warren City Council unanimously voted to accept the resignation of Councilmember John Barbera, effective Oct. 1, and authorized city staff to advertise the vacant seat and solicit applications.

The acceptance of Barbera’s resignation triggers a timeline for filling the seat: applications will be accepted through Wednesday, Oct. 16; a legal notice is proposed for publication in the Oct. 1 edition of the Warren Times; and the council plans to vote on an appointee at its regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 20. The appointee will serve the remainder of Barbera’s term, which expires Jan. 4, 2027.

City staff explained that the council must follow the statutory timeline for filling municipal vacancies and that, if the council fails to appoint a replacement within the prescribed period, a court or another authorized body could make the appointment. To give prospective applicants more time, council members discussed the option of holding a special meeting the week after Oct. 20, but said the Oct. 20 meeting must be held as scheduled because it includes a separate resolution and grant submission on that agenda.

Council members described how the appointment process will proceed. Nominations will be made and seconded in public; each nominee may be asked to address the council. Voting will proceed by roll call, with members stating yes or no for each candidate. A simple majority of the full council—four votes in this six-member attendance—will be required to select an appointee. If no candidate achieves the required votes in a round, the council will eliminate the lowest vote-getters and hold subsequent rounds until a candidate receives four votes.

Council staff said they will accept letters of interest and resumes, circulate candidate materials to council members for review, and publish application instructions in the proposed legal notice. The council discussed logistics for swearing in the appointee: if available, a magistrate could administer the oath at the end of the Oct. 20 meeting so the new member can participate in upcoming budget meetings (the first budget meeting is scheduled to begin Nov. 5). Alternatively, the oath could be taken at a magistrate’s office before the meeting and presented to the council as a formality.

The council also reviewed contingency plans if no applicants come forward or if voting results in repeated tied outcomes. Council members recalled a prior vacancy that progressed to the court when council votes repeatedly deadlocked; in that case the court interviewed candidates and later appointed a replacement.

The motion to accept the resignation passed on a 6‑0 roll call vote. Councilors voting yes were Miss Flasher, Mr. Cashman, Mr. Gilbert, Mrs. McCain, Mr. Valella and Mayor Wertman. The council instructed staff to proceed with the advertised vacancy and to keep the council and public informed of the application and appointment schedule.