City Council will hold a special meeting 6 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 6) to interview candidates and appoint a new council member to replace Mike Allegretto.
Allegretto resigned Sept. 14 to take a job as the director of the city’s Community Services Department, leaving the remaining six council members with two legal options to replace him: 1) Make an appointment within 30 days of Allegretto’s resignation, or 2) Leave the seat empty until candidates can run in May 2016 to complete the remaining two years of his term.
As of Monday, council had opted to leave the seat vacant and let voters decide in May.
But two councilmen who had been on the fence (Antwan McClellan and Mike Devlieger) and one who had been away (Tony Wilson) decided to push for an appointment.
“We’ve had a ton of inquiries (from prospective candidates), and a lot of people saying they would like to see the seat filled,” said Council Vice President Pete Madden, who had argued for leaving the decision to voters. “After talking to them, I’m fine with moving forward with an appointment.”
Anybody interested in filling the seat can contact the City Clerk’s Office in Ocean City for more information on how to submit a letter of interest and resume.
Interviews will be conducted in an executive session closed to the public on Oct. 6, but the vote to make an appointment will be made in public.
At the most recent council meeting, City Council President Keith Hartzell, Madden and Councilman Pete Guinosso had argued for leaving the decision to voters.
McClellan and DeVlieger said the issue warranted further discussion. Wilson was not present.
Madden said he would prefer to leave the at-large seat open until the vote in May. He said he would feel differently if it were a ward representative charged with working more closely with constituents from different parts of town.
“If it were a ward seat, it would make more sense to fill it,” Madden said.
Hartzell said he was worried about the tight time frame for filling the seat and said he was committed to keeping interviews and the process in the public eye. He also said he wanted to keep the May election fair.
“I don’t feel comfortable choosing somebody and giving that person an advantage,” Hartzell said.
If council makes an appointment, the new council member will serve until May 2016. Candidates then will run to complete the remaining two years of Allegretto’s term. Candidates will run for a full four-year term in the at-large seat in May 2018.
