Council selection ordeal prompts calls for change

Rethinking how to fill vacancies

By ERIN COX, Staff Writer

Capital Gazette Communications

Published 12/20/09

County politicians say they will revamp how they fill vacant seats on the County Council after Thursday night's process dragged through four hours of public deadlock.

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"Certainly it has to be better than it was last night," said Charles W. Ferrar, an Edgewater Democrat who sat through 18 rounds of voting before he was selected to fill the seat of now-Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen.

"Sitting there, it was very hard to build a consensus," Ferrar said Friday. "You had three people solidly for me. You had two people solidly for (the other candidate) Mike Miller. No one wanted to...

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A Radical Idea - 2009-12-21 17:08:34

Here is an idea for you. How about the people we elect and entrust to represent us actually serve out their 4 year terms.

I would venture to say that barring death, inability to serve due to personal health issues or caring for an immediate family member, impeachment, etc... there should be no acceptable reason for an individual to leave their office before their term has expired. So, here is a simple solution; if you feel so compelled to leave your current elected office for any reason other than those stated above, YOU, not your campaign committee, not a lobbyist or PAC, but YOU personally MUST pay the City, County or State for the costs of holding a Special Election to replace you.

I wonder if people like Josh Cohen, Ed Riley, and others would think twice before abandoning the commitment they made to voters in the previous election when they asked for their trust and support for that office.

This is a serious problem and politicians count on voters having short memories. Passing new laws that leave voters unrepresented for a longer period of time is NOT the answer. Let's see some commitment from our supposed leaders to fulfill their promises.

Perhaps then we can work on getting them to vote and take a stand on issues after that.

Am I expecting too much?

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Scott Bowling - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

yes...a special election - 2009-12-20 20:25:42

Thanks, Tricia for supporting the need for special elections. the cost would only be needed to cover one district. perhaps funding one special election every year can be added to the budget. if not used then carry over to the next year.

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aaron gray - crofton, md - Karma: Neutral