Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ward 5 Vacancy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board of Elections: No Ward 5 candidate packets found; board will ask mayor to appoint replacement
Summary
The Riverdale Park Board of Elections found no candidate filing packets for the Ward 5 vacancy after checking filing locations. The board voted to send a memo to the mayor and council asking them to prioritize finding a Ward 5 resident and outlined the 45-day mayoral appointment timeline.
The Riverdale Park Board of Elections concluded at a special meeting that no candidate filing packets were received for the Ward 5 vacancy and voted to send a memo to the mayor and council outlining the board’s findings and next steps.
The board’s chair said the panel "performed due diligence and looked in the box, asked in the mailbox and other places where there could possibly be a packet and there was no packet received." The board agreed it will report that absence to the mayor and council so they can begin the process to appoint someone to the Ward 5 seat.
Board members emphasized that, while the municipal code does not require the mayor and council to select a ward resident, the board "really, really, really wants it to be someone" from Ward 5. A board member noted the code directs officials first to try to identify a candidate from the ward and, only if none are identified, to consider an at-large appointment.
A staff member said the board will inform the mayor and council at their July 7 meeting and confirmed with the town attorney that the mayor has 45 days from the filing of the vacancy to make an appointment. "He has until July 24," the staff member said, and added that if no Ward 5 resident expresses interest the town will advertise in the newspaper for two weeks before allowing an at-large appointment.
Jahira moved that she and another board member draft a memorandum to the mayor and council explaining the board's steps and recommending efforts to find a Ward 5 resident; she said a draft would be prepared by the end of the weekend and circulated to the board prior to the July 7 council meeting. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; the record does not include individual vote tallies.
The board noted it will next meet on July 9 to review the recent town election. The memo to the mayor and council and the July 7 council meeting will determine whether the mayor appoints a Ward 5 resident, advertises the vacancy, or follows the at-large appointment process.
