Council members on Nov. 10 set a schedule to fill the council seat that will be vacated when Mayor-elect Claire Carmelia is sworn in on Dec. 1.

City Attorney Dave Frankel told the council the charter gives the body 30 days to appoint a replacement and that council rules contemplate an application and interview process. "December 1 when mayor elect Carmelia is sworn in, that will create a vacancy," Frankel said during premeeting discussion. Councilors agreed to collect input on application questions, share a draft with Councilor-elect Jack Johnson for comment, and have the city clerk compile feedback.

Under the timeline the council adopted: council members should submit application feedback to the clerk by Nov. 14; staff will return a final draft on Nov. 17; the application will be posted Nov. 18 and remain open roughly two weeks, closing Dec. 2; and interviews are tentatively scheduled for the evenings of Dec. 12 and/or Dec. 13. Council discussed options if the applicant pool is large and agreed to reconvene on Dec. 8 to decide whether to narrow candidates before interviews.

Councilors emphasized transparency and the opportunity for the newly seated council member to provide input on the application. Clerk Abby Fitch was designated to compile comments and manage the posted process. The clerk will accept expressions of interest and publicize application materials on the city website once the form is finalized.

Next steps: staff will publish the finalized application on Nov. 18 and return to council on Dec. 8 if the applicant pool requires narrowing before interviews.