Council to Make Second District 3 Appointment Next Week

On Monday, City Clerk Mark Jomsky announced that a special meeting will be held on Dec. 15 to fill the second vacancy left by the death of John Kennedy.

Kennedy died in July. The City Council appointed Justin Jones to fill the vacancy in September.

Jones and Brandon Lamar have qualified for the seat, according to the City Manager’s website. 

Now the council must fill a second vacancy left by Kennedy’s victory in the June Primary.

Although local residents have called for a special election, the City Charter mandates the City Council fill the vacancy within 75 days. 

In the past the City Council has interviewed candidates individually, via Zoom during the pandemic, before voting.

That process brought forth two current City Councilmembers.

Jess Rivas, who was appointed to replace Victor Gordo, after Gordo won the mayor’s race during the pandemic. The process also led to the appointment of Andy Wilson after Terry Tornek gave up his District 7 seat to take the mayor’s chair.

Rivas and Wilson later successfully ran for their seats.