North Plains council elects Aaron Dumbrow as council president after two ballots

The North Plains City Council elected Councilor Aaron Dumbrow as council president at its Jan. 6, 2025, regular meeting after two rounds of nominations and roll-call votes.

The vote followed multiple nominations and discussion of candidates' relevant experience. Councilor Trista Papen was the first nomination; Councilor Fage and Councilor McCall-Wallace argued Papen’s experience running council procedures suited the role, while supporters of Aaron Dumbrow highlighted his experience with Robert’s Rules and leadership in other community organizations. City Attorney Chris Crean advised that the council must resolve each motion as voted before moving to the next nomination.

On the first roll-call vote for Councilor Papen, members recorded three ayes, three nays and one abstention; after the mayor changed an earlier abstention to a nay, the tally stood at Ayes 3, Nays 3, Abstain 1, and the motion did not pass. A subsequent roll-call vote on Councilor Aaron Dumbrow passed 4–3, and Mayor Ariel Goodwin announced Dumbrow as council president for 2025.

Council President duties were described during debate as stepping in to run meetings when the mayor is unavailable and to help shepherd procedural sequencing for motions and votes. The procedural discussion included whether councilors may vote for themselves (the answer given during the meeting was yes) and a recommendation by the city attorney to use roll-call voting when vocal tallies were unclear.

The election concluded without formal amendments or additional actions. The council proceeded with the rest of its agenda, including public comment and committee appointments.

Action record: Nomination and election of Council President; final roll-call vote in favor of Aaron Dumbrow, 4 ayes, 3 nays.