Maumee council deadlocks on appointment to vacant seat; schedules executive session, reconvenes Aug. 18

Maumee City Council opened nominations Aug. 11 to fill the council seat vacated by Scott Noonan and held two rounds of voting that ended in a tie between Daniel Thomas and Chelsea Ziz. Council scheduled the matter for further consideration at the Aug. 18 meeting and agreed to hold an executive session at that meeting’s start to discuss the appointment.

Council President Barrow read the city charter provision outlining the vacancy process: a vacancy is filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of council (requiring four votes out of the six remaining members), and if the council does not fill the position within 30 days, the mayor may appoint someone without council confirmation. The law director stated that, because of the timing, an appointed person would be required to run in the November 2026 election to serve the remainder of the term.

Nominations were limited to individuals who submitted resumes prior to the Aug. 11 meeting. Council members nominated multiple candidates, including Daniel Thomas, Chelsea Ziz, Rosie Bartosz and Joe Plager. After nominations were closed, council held an open roll-call vote; the first round narrowed the field to two candidates (Thomas and Ziz). A second roll call produced a tie, and council recorded an impasse.

Council members discussed voting procedures and whether to caucus in executive session if an impasse were reached. Several members said executive session would be appropriate to discuss candidate qualifications within the allowable scope of the Ohio Open Meetings Act and statutes related to personnel discussions; the law director confirmed an executive session for appointment discussion would be permitted for personnel reasons.

Council moved into executive session on the appointment of a public official, returning to open session afterward. After an additional round of voting following that session, the council still reported an impasse and scheduled final consideration for Aug. 18, with an executive session planned at the start of that meeting.

No appointment was made on Aug. 11. The council’s procedures stated that no seconds are required for nominations; if more than three people are nominated, successive votes reduce the field to nominees receiving at least two votes unless one candidate receives four votes outright.

The council did not provide a timetable for swearing in a new member; the law director noted statutory and charter deadlines tied to an appointment and the requirement that an appointee run in the next applicable election.

Background: The seat became vacant when council member Scott Noonan resigned earlier in August. Council’s charter and vacancy rules, as read into the record, govern the timeline and process for filling the seat.