Reading City Council on countdown to appoint a new president for the second time in less than 6 months

Michelle Lynch, Reading Eagle, Pa.
·3 min read

Jan. 5—Reading City Council is on a countdown to appoint a new president.

With the resignation of former President Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, council needs to fill that leadership role by the end of January.

Cepeda-Freytiz was elected in November to represent Pennsylvania's 129th Legislative District. She resigned as council president Dec. 31 and was sworn into office in Harrisburg on Tuesday.

The former councilwoman was appointed president in late June after the unexpected death of Jeffrey S. Waltman Sr., making this the second time in less than six months that the office will be filled by appointment.

Waltman, who had served on council since 2000, was appointed president in 2015 and subsequently won election to the office.

"I'm just going to say I'm interested," Councilwoman Donna Reed said Monday at a council committee of the whole meeting. "I would like to be considered because I think this is a time for continuity."

Reed said Waltman set a high standard that was continued by Cepeda-Fretiz.

"I would certainly like to continue in their footsteps," she added.

Under the city charter, the vice president — currently Reed — does not automatically advance to the office should the presidency be vacated.

Council members have 30 days to select one of their own or hold an open-application process.

The person selected will serve until the next municipal election, which will take place this year. At that time, the appointee would have to run for the position to finish the remaining two years of the term.

Typically, council will elect a president from among its serving members, Reed said, but that is not a requirement of the charter.

Residents from any city district can apply, but a candidate with experience and institutional knowledge is preferred, Councilwoman Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz said.

The position is one of power and importance, she said, noting that whoever holds the office must have an understanding of the protocols of city government and the technicalities of running a council meeting.

"I don't think many of us are aware of this, but the council president sets the agenda," she said.

If the administration wants something discussed at the meeting and the council president does not include it on the agenda, at least five members must agree before it can be added, Goodman-Hinnershitz said.

If council selects from its own, it will leave an opening for a district representative. That position, too, will need to be filled within 30 days of the date it is vacated, according to the charter.

That appointee also would need to be successful in the next election to complete the remaining years of the term.

Waltman's death and Cepeda-Freytiz's recent resignation, coupled with that of Brianna Tyson's resignation in March, means five council seats will be open for the next election in addition to the office of mayor.

Elections are usually staggered so only the mayor's office and three district seats or the council president and three district seats are open in a single election.

The five openings include the District 1 seat occupied by Christopher M. Daubert, who was appointed in April to replace Tyson, and the District 6 seat held by O. Christopher Miller, who was appointed in July when previous district representative Cepeda-Freytiz was named president.