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El Centro council adopts schedule and application rules to fill council vacancy
Summary
The council voted 4-0 to publish a notice of vacancy, open an applications period and follow a public review and interview schedule to fill the seat left vacant by Tomas Oliva's resignation.
The El Centro City Council voted 4-0 to move forward with a public appointment process to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former Mayor Tomas Oliva, approving a notice of vacancy, application form and a two-step review schedule presented by city staff.
City Attorney Elizabeth Martin reviewed the legal steps for filling the seat and told the council: "The council is not required to take applications or conduct interviews, but you may wish to do so. The process of discussing and any interviews as well as appointments must be conducted in open session." The council approved publishing a notice and using a public application and interview process.
Under the schedule the council approved, the notice will be published in the Ivy Press on the upcoming Saturday; applications will be available from the city clerk and may be submitted by email or by dropping off a hard copy. The city clerk said the application period will be 15 days after publication and that staff will accept applications until April 6 at 5:00 p.m. The council asked staff to add education and employment questions to the application and to include the amount of the council stipend so applicants understand compensation is a stipend, not a salary.
Council members agreed to a public review meeting on April 8 at 5:30 p.m. to rank applications and narrow the field to five candidates, followed by in-person interviews on April 16 at 5:30 p.m. The council scheduled a special meeting on April 21 at 10:00 a.m. to announce and swear in the selected appointee. City staff said interviews will be conducted in open session, may be streamed, and the city will provide a room for waiting candidates so interviews can proceed orderly.
Public comment on the item included remarks from resident Pete Rodriguez, who told the council he wants a "fair, transparent" process and said, "I don't want any more clown shows," during an extended public comment. Council members debated whether to provide interview questions to candidates in advance; some members and staff suggested preparing sample questions for the council to review and potentially circulate, while others said on-the-spot answers are important to evaluate candidates' abilities.
The council authorized staff to publish the notice, open the application period and proceed as outlined. The motion to adopt the process passed 4-0.
