The City of Kerman has recently had the unfortunate event of losing a great friend and City Councilman to an out-of-State job opportunity. Nathan Fox, who was 3+ years into his four-year City Council term, received an incredible job offer working for the State Department in Washington D.C. While we, as a community - and more particularly myself as a friend - hate to see him go, we certainly wish him and his family the best on their new endeavors in an exciting new chapter of their lives.
Nathan's leaving left a vacancy on the City Council. I was asked by multiple people, including Councilman Fox, to submit my name as a temporary replacement to complete his term through the end of 2016.
I did submit my name - with a bit of hesitancy - for the Council's consideration, as did two other very qualified individuals. I do not say that lightly. I am a firm believer in qualification based selection. It is in the City's best interest that qualified people are in key positions to manage the City. I do feel that I may have been the least qualified of the three applicants, as, among other things, they both have previous City Council experience. I shared those feelings with the Council multiple times.
Discussions and deliberations took nearly eight (8) hours spread over the course of three Council meetings. I was told, within minutes of the beginning of the first meeting that I would not be selected; that my services were better served on the Planning Commission, where I presently serve as Vice Chair. I am OK with that as I am comfortable on that Commission, and I do feel that I am qualified to be there. I appreciated the Council's candor.
As the meetings went on - the first, second, and third meeting - the Council had arrived at a stalemate with two Council-members each voting for one of the other applicants. The City's Legal Counsel reminded the Council that one applicant needed a total three votes - half plus one of all of the seats on the Council - to be selected. The Council was also reminded that they were nearing the end of the State mandated 60 day period for a replacement. Putting it to a public vote was not an option as the next nearest election will be in November, only seven weeks before the end of the term. Flipping a coin was discussed, but it's not allowed - actually prohibited in State Law - as a method of Council appointment. The City Council had to come to a decision.
It was suggested that the Council-members come to a compromise. Since they each couldn't select the applicant they wanted, they should each select the person they didn't want so the City could get back to business. (In the interest of full disclosure, the compromise was suggested very respectfully. My description is only an attempt to add a bit of levity to a drawn out process.) Long story short, I received votes from three of the Council-members where I had received none in the past two meetings.
On May 18, 2016, I was appointed to the Kerman City Council to fulfill the remainder of Councilman Fox's term through the end of 2016. As a result, I've had to step down from my position on the Planning Commission, and the City Council will now be tasked with selecting a Planning Commission replacement to fulfill the remaining two and a half years of my three year term, and the Commission will be tasked with selecting another Vice Chair.
At the end of 2016 and the end of my short City Council term, I will reapply for another three year term on the Planning Commission. That is, if the Commission will take me back. I can only hope that the City Council finds me qualified.
Wish me luck.
