Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance And Ethics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Motion to reconsider rules on interim Ward 4 appointment fails after heated council debate
Summary
A motion to suspend the rules to reconsider an earlier attempt to permit further consideration of an interim Ward 4 appointment failed on a 3–3 vote after councilmembers criticized the process and called for transparency.
A motion to suspend the rules to reconsider a prior motion about the interim appointment to the Ward 4 council seat failed after an extended and sometimes emotional exchange among councilmembers.
Vice President Kim moved to suspend the rules to reconsider the earlier motion; the motion drew extended discussion about transparency, recesses and whether the council had followed its normal process. Councilmember Johnson said she would vote no on further iterations of the appointment process, describing recent actions as lacking transparency and saying, “this has been one of the most painful procedures that I've been through as a council member.” Councilmember Bui and Councilmember Buie also said they were disappointed in the process and opposed further procedural attempts.
Councilmember Joost (Jost in parts of the transcript) and Council President Naker criticized the lack of consensus but said they would continue to try to find a decision; a recount of charter timelines was provided showing April 7 as the next business day relevant to the charter timeline for filling the vacancy.
When the motion to suspend the rules to reconsider was called, roll call showed Councilmembers Kim and Yang and Council President Naker voting yes and Councilmembers Bui, Johnson and Joost voting no; the motion failed 3–3. Council President Naker noted that if the council cannot reach a consensus, the decision would go to the mayor under the charter process. The council then adjourned.
