By Katie Friedman, Correspondent:
At the Maple Lake City Council’s monthly meeting Tuesday, December 21, parameters and procedures were laid out for building back a fully seated city council. But final decisions remain as to who will be appointed to take up the duties of an abdicated mayor and council member until voters are able to elect their replacements in November of next year. At the earliest, those appointments could be made in January.
Mayoral appointment
Former Mayor Todd Borell resigned November 9, creating a vacancy in that office. His term is scheduled to expire at the end of 2022. Deb Geyen is the city’s current acting mayor, meaning that she is to perform the duties of mayor until a successor is appointed and otherwise qualifies.
Also, due to the subsequent resignation of another council member, Brian Fondurulia, only three council members currently remain: Deb Geyen, Kristen Logas and John Haack.
City Attorney Dave Anderson sent a memorandum to remaining members of the council December 13, outlining relevant election law, along with his own professional conclusions and recommendations.
State statute governs the process to fill a vacancy where a portion of the term of office for the vacated seat remains. Specifically, as in Borell’s case, when fewer than two years remain in the term of a vacated office, the vacancy shall be filled by council appointment until a successor is elected during the city’s next general election. Additionally, the statute requires the mayor to make the appointment in the case of a tie vote during the council’s appointment process. The city council otherwise has discretion in its appointment process.
In an effort to fill the mayoral vacancy, the council solicited letters of interest and received submissions from all three remaining council members in addition to one citizen, Wayne Paumen, who ran for city council as a write-in candidate in the last city election. Paumen has since indicated he is interested only in the council position. Resident John Rivers took to the podium during the open forum to endorse Geyen for the mayoral position, citing her years of experience on the council.
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