Thank you Maria for inspiring today's blog. You proposed an interesting question in your welcomed blog today. "I have been wondering why is it that we have to wait one more year to get the mayor out, couldn't we do a mayoral recall? Would it be worth it? Are there any other people out there who would consider this idea? Can Plainfield really afford one more year under the Robinson-Briggs administration? Who would, if she was ousted, become the mayor?"
The City Charter provides for the City Administrator to be acting mayor in the temporary absence of the mayor. But Article III, 3.3 (c) reads " At any time during an emergency` declared by the council; a councilmana designated under this section shall serve as acting mayor"---- "In the event of the death, resignation, or disqualification of the mayor, there shall be a vacancy in the office which will be filled at the next general election occurring not less than 60 days after the occurrence of the vacancy. The office shall be filled by the acting mayor until the qualification of the person so elected. " The section states that the councilman so selected should be elected by majority vote.
If the mayor resigned before Jan. 1, 2009 and in time for a regular or special meeting in 2008, Gibson could be elected to that position and stay in office until after the Nov. 2009 elections. My bet would be that if it were after Jan 1, that Burney would be lucky individual. However it is a moot question, the scenario will never occur.
As to "recall", the balloting would have to take place at a special election-too expensive. Otherwise it could be possibly be at the June Primary also as a Special Election since that time there is no unified ballot.
This is another reason that theCity Charter should be revisited and revised.
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I don't think Gibson can stay on past Dec. 31 because he lost the primary and Annie McWilliams won the citywide at-large seat for four years starting Jan. 1. If the new faction can count to four, they could ward off the most egregious foolishness from the administration by not approving it.
ReplyDeleteMy interpretation is that the fact that Gibson would no longer be on the Council would not matter. Once the acting mayor is appointed he serves until the NEXT GENERAL ELECTION when a new mayor is picked.That would have to be for the short term from election day until 1/1/10 when the next full term begins.-In other words at the NEXT general election there has to be election for the unfilled term and a separate election for the new 4 year term, Could be the same person.
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