Title
Discussion and Possible Action on the Filling of Councilor Vacancy.
Recommended Action
I nominate Aaron Walker, Eric Stromberg, John Bliss, Gary Stradling, Brad Nyenhuis, Jose Carreno, Amanda Robertson, Katrina Schmidt, Greg White, and Brady Burke to fill one vacancy on the County Council and move that Council appoint one nominee to the vacant position as follows:
By roll call vote, Councilors vote for one nominee and the nominee with the highest vote total of four or more be appointed to fill the remainder of the term beginning on January 1, 2016 and ending on December 31, 2020.
Body
The purpose of this evening's special session is to fill a vacancy on the Council after the resignation of Councilor Christine Chandler due to her election as State Representative in November 2018. According to the County Charter, Section 200.4: "When a vacancy occurs in the Council, the remaining Councilors shall appoint a qualified person to fill it for the remainder of the unexpired term. If the vacancy occurs within ninety (90) calendar days prior to the expiration of the term, no such appointment shall be made."
Applicants were asked to submit a "letter of interest" stating that they were a qualified voter and resided in the County, along with a summary of their experience, background and any other qualifications that they felt made them the best candidate. The vacancy was advertised in the Los Alamos Monitor, Daily Post and with KRSN radio, in addition to information displayed on the County Facebook Page, webpage postings and "County Line" e-newsletter postings.
Letters from 10 applicants (provided in Attachment A) were received by the deadline of January 24th.
Attachment B is an excerpt from the Council Procedural Rules that explains the appointment process for the selection of elected officials.
Attachments
A - Letters of Interest January 2019
B - From Council Procedural Rules