Council hears proposal for volunteer manager amid mayoral vacancy; city attorney and presiding official cite court order limits

Council members discussed the city’s mayoral vacancy at the July 29 special meeting and debated whether the council or a volunteer could fill executive functions while awaiting the governor’s appointment. Council member Saint Columbia urged the council to consider bringing in a manager at no cost to the city to perform mayoral duties until the governor acts.

The presiding official and city legal counsel (as referenced in the meeting) responded that a court order designates one person to exercise the mayor’s authority and that the governor is required to appoint and commission a new mayor under the court order. "The court order is the thing that grants the power," the presiding official said, adding that anyone volunteering to assist would not have the court-authorized mayoral authority.

Why it matters: Council member Saint Columbia said the city has been without a mayor for about three weeks and expressed urgency over the vacancy and the city’s financial pressures, including payroll. He proposed a hiring freeze and cuts to appointed executive jobs until a new mayor is appointed.

Discussion and limits: The presiding official said he has operated under the court order and will continue to do so, and that unilateral attempts to assign mayoral authority to another person could violate the court order. The presiding official invited volunteers to assist operationally but warned they would lack legal authority to act as mayor.

Next steps: The presiding official said the governor’s office has not yet communicated an appointment and that, until the governor appoints a mayor, he will continue to exercise the authority designated by the court order. The council did not adopt any ordinance or resolution altering the court order or appointing an interim mayor at the July 29 meeting.