Who wants to be on Staunton city council?
It's going to be a busy (and maybe long)Thursday afternoon and evening for the Staunton City Council, as the six elected members interview applicants for the vacant seat on city council.
So what's the gist?
By the Friday Jan. 27 deadline, 20 residents had applied.
Thirteen of them are new to city service. Seven have been elected or appointed to a city position in the past. At least one currently serves on a commission to which they were appointed.
What's next? And why will Thursday be so busy (and maybe long)?
On Thursday, Feb. 2 at 4:15 p.m., the six-member city council will meet in the Rita S. Wilson Council Chambers and interview five of the candidates, according to the city's website. Those interviews, scheduled for 20 minutes each, will likely last until after 6:00 p.m., longer if there is a short discussion period between interviews. The interviews can be conducted in person, or over Zoom.
After the interviews, there will be a public comment period where attendees will each be provided up to two minutes to address the council on the vacancy, both in-person and via the Zoom platform. That's where things could go long.
Arrangements for public access to the meeting will be streamed live on the city’s webpage at www.staunton.va.us/council and by television broadcast on Comcast channel 7.
Why won't every applicant get a public interview?
At the Jan. 26 meeting, council decided to narrow down the candidates to five finalists, using "a ranking system, or grading rubric, based on each individual's application," according to a Jan. 27 press release from the city.
We've asked Clerk of Council Kiley Kesecker for a copy of the grading rubric so the public knows on what basis the finalists are chosen. As soon as we receive a copy we'll post it to this story.
How long will the appointed member of city council serve?
"The individual appointed to fill the vacancy shall serve until the individual receiving the most votes in a November 7, 2023 special election for the remainder of the term qualifies for office," according to the city's press release.
Here are the applicants
The information each applicant provided can be found on the city's website.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Who are the Staunton residents who applied for the city council seat?
