San Carlos' fifth city council member to be appointed from a pool of nine - San Jose Mercury News
The fifth member of the San Carlos City Council will be appointed this month to serve through the end of next year.
And although that person won't be legally restrained from seeking a four-year seat on the council in the November 2013 election, he or she will be expected to resist the temptation.
That's the scenario the city council pictured when it unanimously accepted a compromise plan Tuesday night offered by Mayor Matt Grocott to replace Andy Klein, who resigned mid-term in April after citing personal reasons including marriage and drinking problems.
The compromise was reached after the four-member council twice deadlocked in previous meetings on the method to replace Klein.
"I'd rather see an election sooner than later, but given that we're at the place where we are ... I'm willing to compromise," Grocott said.
Grocott and Council Member Mark Olbert had lobbied for a special election this November to give voters an early say on who should represent them on the dais.
But Vice Mayor Bob Grassilli and Council Member Ron Collins wanted to appoint someone until the next regular November election, in 2013. They argued that the council and residents need some stability after so many seats turned over in the last year.
While both men had previously insisted that the pool of interim council candidates should not be limited to those who pledge not to run later, they backed off that position Tuesday to end the
deadlock."Despite the fact that I am principally opposed to decreasing the candidate pool, I understand political realities," Collins said.
Nine people have applied for the position. They are: Farrokh Albuyeh, vice president of Open Access Technology International, Inc.; Karen Clapper, chairwoman of the city's planning commission; Ricardo Garcia-Pacheco, a former member of the San Carlos Economic Development Advisory Commission; John Hoffmann, a former city council member; Cameron Johnson, an Economic Development Advisory commissioner; Brad Lewis, a former council member and mayor; Sally Mitchell, a former council member and mayor; Steven San Filippo, a city planning commissioner; and Inge Tiegel-Doherty, a former council member and mayor.
A special meeting is be scheduled for next week so the council can interview the candidates and select one by a June 17 deadline.
The council found itself in a similar situation last year after then-mayor Omar Ahmad died from a heart attack on May 8; Lewis was chosen to serve the remaining months of Ahmad's term.
Email Bonnie Eslinger at beslinger@dailynewsgroup.com.
