HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 13 Ward 4 City Councilor ResignationAGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date:
Meeting Type:
Staff Contact/Dept.:
Staff Phone No:
2/6/2023
Regular Meeting
Niel Laudati/CMO
Mary Bridget Smith/CAO
541-726-3780
Estimated Time: 20 Minutes
SPRINGFIELD Council Goals: Mandate
CITY COUNCIL
ITEM TITLE: WARD 4 CITY COUNCILOR RESIGNATION ACCEPTANCE AND INTERIM
COUNCILOR APPOINTMENT PROCESS DISCUSSION
ACTION Move to accept the resignation of Leonard Stoehr as Ward 4 City Councilor and find
REQUESTED: the position vacant. Provide guidance on the process for appointing an Interim City
Councilor necessitated by the vacancy.
ISSUE The Springfield City Council seat for Ward 4 is vacant and Council is obligated to
STATEMENT: appoint an Interim Councilor. Council vacancies are to be filled consistent with the
Springfield Charter, Council Operating Policies and Procedures, and Council
direction.
ATTACHMENTS: 1. Letter of Resignation
DISCUSSION/ Purpose/Background Information: The purposes of this item are to ask the Council
FINANCIAL to accept Councilor Stoehr's resignation and ask the Council to provide input on the
IMPACT: process for selecting a Ward 4 Interim Councilor so staff can bring back a proposed
process for public hearing and approval at the February 21, 2023, regular session.
Legal Requirements/Qualifications: The legal issues with this process can be
addressed by following a process that is compliant with the Springfield Charter and
policies and consistently applied to all candidates. The Interim Councilor must live
in Ward 4, not be a candidate for more than one elective City office, disclose any
adult felony convictions, not be a City employee and any other qualifications set by
the Council. Deliberations and appointment must occur at a regular session meeting
and are subject to public meetings law requirements and Council procedure.
Councilor Stoehr was halfway through his term; therefore, the Interim Councilor will
serve out the rest of his existing term through 2024. The election schedule for the
successor Ward 4 Councilor is the same as if Councilor Stoehr decided to run for re-
election - the May statewide biennial primary election in 2024, with a potential run
off of the top two candidates in the subsequent November statewide general biennial
election.
Interim Councilor Selection Process: Last year, the Council amended its Operating
Policies and Procedures to require that the Council formally accept a Councilor's
resignation and hold a public hearing before adopting a process for appointing an
interim councilor.
The main components of filling the vacancy are advertisement and recruitment,
candidate evaluation, and deliberation and appointment. Advertisement and
recruitment include notifying the greater community about the vacancy and
providing a method for candidates to express their interest via a written application.
Candidate evaluation includes using information like a written application and in
person interview to determine whether the candidate is qualified to move forward to
deliberations. The last vacancy recruitment in early 2021 lasted approximately two
months and the application period was open for 30 days.
Attachment 1, Page 1 of 1