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Residents raise transparency questions after Fruita swears in new councilor; council defends process
Summary
The council swore in Jared after approving the appointment; public commenters criticized a website posting and asked that the appointment be removed from consent, while other residents spoke in support. Councilors described a nine-applicant process and said a website post was an error that was removed.
The Fruita City Council on June 16 swore in an appointed councilor, Jared, after council meetings and public comment that included both criticism and support for the pick.
During the public-comment period, Tessa Bynum told the council she had found Jared already listed as a council member on the city staff directory before the appointment vote and urged the council to remove the appointment from the consent agenda because she viewed it as non-routine. “I found that Jared was already listed as a council member on the staff directory,” Bynum said, arguing that the posting undermined the public’s opportunity to comment on the appointment.
Other speakers, including Rishanel Cry and Andy Tillman, voiced strong support for Jared, citing his community work, leadership with foster-care programs and the symbolic importance of diverse representation. Rishanel Cry said she knew Jared as a neighbor and called his character “wonderful.”
Councilors described the vacancy process: after a councilor resigned the seat following the election, staff received nine applications, held a public review and then publicly interviewed four finalists. The mayor makes a recommendation and the council acts at a regular meeting; councilors said posting the candidate profile on the website before the final meeting was an inadvertent error that staff removed when alerted.
City Clerk Deb Woods administered the oath of office for Jared at the meeting. Councilors reiterated the appointment procedure and defended using the consent agenda for this kind of appointment, noting it has been used previously. The swearing-in followed the adoption of the consent agenda earlier in the meeting.
