San Rafael seeks applicants for open City…
San Rafael seeks applicants for open City Council seat
Kate Colin, left, with supporter Windi Snearly of San Rafael during an election night gathering at the Elks Club in San Rafael on Nov. 3. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
By Matthew Pera | mpera@marinij.com |
San Rafael officials are seeking applicants to fill a vacant seat on the City Council left by Kate Colin, who was sworn in on Monday as the city's new mayor.
Colin was elected in November 2017 to a five-year term that is set to end in December 2022. Council members are typically elected for four years, but the city temporarily implemented five-year terms in order to align its elections with national ones.
Last month, Colin was elected the first woman mayor in San Rafael's history. After a swearing-in ceremony on Monday, she assumed the role that Gary Phillips has held for the past nine years. That left the council with three members in addition to the mayor, rather than the typical four.
Andrew McCullough's and John Gamblin's terms on the council ended Monday. City officials swore in Maika Llorens Gulati, who ran unopposed for the District 1 seat on the council, and Rachel Kertz, who won a three-person race for the District 4 seat during the city's first district-based election last month. Councilwoman Maribeth Bushey's seat was not at stake.
The council voted unanimously on Monday to solicit applications and appoint a resident to fill Colin's council seat for the remainder of her term.
Because Colin was elected before the city switched to district-based elections, the appointee can reside anywhere in San Rafael, officials said. But when the term is up in 2022, the seat must be filled by a resident who lives in the city's District 2, which includes the downtown, Bret Harte, Gerstle Park, Sun Valley and West End neighborhoods, according to City Clerk Lindsay Lara.
"It's a little complicated," Lara told the council.
The council opted to fill the vacancy by appointment rather than hold a special election. According to Lara, a special election would take place in November at the soonest and would cost the city between $238,000 and $340,000.
"We love having elections," Colin said. "But when you look at the price tag of this and the timing, it does not help city governance to be putting it off for so long, until November of next year, and at a quarter of a million dollars of money that was not budgeted."
Applications are due by 5 p.m. Jan. 12 and can be found at cityofsanrafael.org/city-council-vacancy. The council will interview candidates during a session that will take place sometime between Jan. 25 and 29, officials said.
San Rafael City Council
Matthew Pera