Bay City commission appoints Katie Doyle to fill 3rd Ward seat after ranked-choice tie

Bay City’s City Commission appointed Katie Doyle to the vacant 3rd Ward seat at a Nov. 24, 2025 special meeting after ranking eight applicants and resolving a tie between Doyle and Jeff O’Shea.

During the meeting, commissioners interviewed eight candidates who each answered a standardized set of questions about priorities, community engagement and how they would represent the ward. The commission used a rank-order scoring method (each commissioner ranked all candidates 1–8; the chair reversed the order into point values and tallied results) to produce a composite recommendation. After the initial tally produced a tie between Katie Doyle and Jeff O’Shea, commissioners discussed tie-breaking options and then submitted final choices between the two tied candidates. Chair Mayor Gerard announced that Doyle had been selected in that step, with the chair reading a 7-to-2 breakdown of the tie‑resolution choices into the public record.

The commission then moved to a formal resolution to appoint Katie Doyle to serve the remainder of the term, with Commissioner Laura Cubitt making the motion and Commissioner Coakley seconding. The clerk called the roll for the appointment resolution; the motion passed on the recorded roll-call votes.

Public comment before the commission was strongly in favor of another applicant, Kenzie Colton. Multiple residents, including Chris Hollovic and a string of neighbors, urged commissioners to appoint Colton, citing her outreach work, volunteer organizing, and professional background in community and mental health. “She’s one of the smartest people I’ve met,” said Chris Hollovic, who said he had worked with Colton in recent months and urged commissioners not to overlook her community ties.

Some commissioners acknowledged procedural lessons from the evening. After the tie and the way it was handled, the chair said the commission would review the ranked-choice process for future appointments. One commissioner publicly expressed frustration that the commission’s final choice did not match the visible public turnout: “I’ll be happy to serve,” Commissioner Denny said, “however, I do want to say publicly clearly that I’m disappointed in our board for not listening to the public yet again.”

The appointment resolution names Katie Doyle to serve as Third Ward City Commissioner with a term ending Dec. 31, 2026. The commission clerk recorded individual yes votes in the roll call after the motion to adopt the appointment was made and seconded; the meeting adjourned afterward.

The commission did not specify a date for Doyle’s swearing-in in the transcript. Commissioners said they will evaluate the ranking process and consider procedural clarifications for any future appointments.