City Council Sets Process to Fill District 7 Vacancy

Applications will be accepted for 18 days, beginning May 14 until 5:30 p.m., June 1, 2015, from eligible Pasadena residents who are registered voters living in City Council District 7 seeking to be appointed to fill the council seat recently vacated by newly elected Mayor Terry Tornek.

In addition to the application, the Council voted to require that all applications must include a nomination petition signed by a minimum of 25 qualified registered voters who live in District 7. All application materials and petition papers must be issued by the City Clerk’s Office and delivered in person back to the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave., by the June 1 deadline.

An ad hoc committee of the City Council will develop interview questions asked of each applicant and provide a review of applications received. Mayor Tornek appointed Vice Mayor Gene Masuda and Councilmember Margaret McAustin to form the ad hoc committee.

A special public meeting of the City Council will be held at a date to be determined in June to interview the applicants and to vote on making an appointment. At the special meeting, all candidates will be interviewed on the same day and no candidate will be permitted to be present during the interview of any other candidate. Each qualified applicant will be asked to make a six-minute presentation to the City Council.

In accordance with City Charter Section 506, any action by the City Council to appoint requires five affirmative votes. Should the City Council be unable to garner the necessary five votes for one applicant by the deadline of the 75th day of the vacancy, July 17, 2015, City Charter Section 404 states the replacement would then be chosen by lot.

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