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Westminster council appoints Thomas B. Baird to fill vacant seat
Summary
At a special Westminster Common Council meeting, members unanimously appointed Thomas B. Baird to fill the council seat vacated by Councilwoman Gilbert; he will serve the remainder of the term through May 2027 and will be sworn in on Monday.
The Westminster Common Council appointed Thomas B. Baird to fill the vacant council seat left by Councilwoman Gilbert, the council announced after a roll-call vote at a special meeting. The appointment was declared unanimous and Baird is slated to be sworn in on Monday.
The meeting opened with the presiding officer saying the sole item on the agenda was to select a replacement to serve out the term that ends in May 2027. The clerk read the three certified applicants on the record as Thomas B. Baird, William A. Heizelman, and Richard H. Husk.
Mayor: "I'd like to start by thanking all three applicants for the open position on the common council of Westminster," the mayor said, praising the candidates' public-service backgrounds and saying he was impressed by their "call to service." Several councilmembers echoed that praise and described the choice as difficult.
Council members emphasized readiness to serve for the roughly one year remaining in the term as a deciding factor. Several speakers said that while two candidates had strong credentials from years of civic involvement, they favored a candidate who could step into the role immediately and oversee council business without a long learning curve.
The clerk then conducted a roll-call-style vote in which members were asked to state the candidate they supported. The transcript records several councilmembers announcing votes for Thomas B. Baird; the clerk subsequently announced the vote as "unanimous" and stated the result met the city charter's requirements.
After the appointment was announced, Thomas B. Baird spoke briefly: "I'm very very nervous about saying anything," he said, and confirmed he would invite family and friends to his swearing-in. The council confirmed that he will be sworn in at the next meeting on Monday and will have an opportunity for photographs and brief remarks before other business resumes.
The council did not take other formal action on the appointment at the session. The newly appointed member will serve until the term expires in May 2027, after which the seat will be subject to the regular election process.
Provenance: This account is drawn directly from remarks and roll-call language recorded in the meeting transcript.
