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Superior council adopts application requirement, schedules June appointment for 6th District vacancy
Summary
After debate, the City of Superior Common Council adopted a process requiring 20 verified signatures from the 6th District by May 31 and will appoint a replacement at its June 6 meeting; the appointee will serve roughly one year until a special election in April 2018.
The City of Superior Common Council on May 16 adopted a process to fill the vacancy in the 6th District, requiring prospective appointees to submit 20 signatures from district residents verified by the city clerk by May 31 and directing the council to make an appointment at its June 6 meeting.
Councilors debated whether to appoint Tyler Elm immediately or open an application process. Councilor Fennessy moved to appoint Elm for the remainder of a two‑year term, saying Elm had recently run and "149 people brought their voice to the council floor" in his favor. Councilor Olson and others argued for an open process, saying residents of the 6th District should have the opportunity to present resumes and that an application process had been used in past vacancies. Rose Ligman, a resident who spoke during public comment, told the council she had heard from constituents and called Elm "proven leadership in our community."
The roll call on the motion to appoint Elm to fill the full two‑year remainder failed 2–7; Councilors Fennessy and Sutherland voted "yes," while Councilors Olsen, Van Sickle, Bender, Sweeney, Ludwig, Kern and Dalbec voted "no." After the failed vote, Councilor Bender moved to accept option 3 — fill the vacancy by appointment and order a special election in April 2018 — and the council adopted an amendment requiring 20 verified signatures by May 31. The council will appoint the qualified candidate at its June 6 meeting and that appointee will serve until the special election in 2018.
Councilors discussed precedent and timeline during the debate; staff noted past vacancies had been handled in varied ways and that statutes give the governing body discretion on filling municipal vacancies. The council recorded the final motion as carried and closed the item.
The council did not publish the names of applicants at the time of this meeting. The clerk will verify submitted signatures and present qualified applicants for the June 6 meeting, at which time the council will make a formal appointment.
