Folsom City Council seat to be filled by appointment

A special City Council meeting was called on June 15 to discuss who would take Roger Gaylord's seat on the City Council. City of Folsom attorney Steven Wang opened the meeting with the following proposed plan to remaining council members and the city manager. "For the benefit of the public, former council member Roger Gaylord has resigned from the Folsom City Council on June 10, 2020. Mr. Gaylord was elected in 2016 for a four-year term, and his term ends after the November 2020 General Election. Mr. Gaylord's resignation created a vacancy on the City Council for the remainder of his term, and it is staff recommendation that the vacancy be filled by appointment until a new council member is elected," said Wang. To be eligible to hold a seat on the City Council, one must be a registered voter, reside in the city of Folsom, and not hold any city office or appointment. To choose a council member by appointment, the council can elect to solicit nominations from the public, nominate anyone eligible to hold a City Council seat or pull from the "next top vote getter from the last municipal election in 2018," said Wang. Another option was to hold a special election, which was proven to be costly, and it was decided to choose by appointment. "The cost of holding a special election varies from approximately $418,000 to $837,000, depending on the number of ballots to be printed and mailed, and staff costs to conduct the election," said Wang. Desirable characteristics in a council member were discussed and included a "significant understanding of how the processes work and a former council member that has no intention of running again," said Kerri Howell, City Council member. "I think sooner is better than later. I think we should wrap it up by our next meeting. We are always rich with skilled and talented people here in Folsom," said Mike Kozlowski, City Council member. The matter will continue at a City Council meeting next Tuesday. Residents can submit a letter of interest and their qualifications for filling the remainder of the term to the city clerk by 5 p.m. Monday and will be awarded an opportunity to speak for up to five minutes to the City Council to make their case. A decision on who will take Gaylord's seat will be made subsequently. The city of Folsom posted the following on social media: "The Folsom City Council is seeking applicants for a vacant Council seat. The appointment term is for the remainder term of the vacated seat, which concludes upon the swearing-in of a newly elected Councilmember for that seat at the November 2020 General Municipal Election. Per Section 2.01(A) of the Folsom City Charter, a council member must be a registered voter and resident in the city of Folsom. For the application, visit www.folsom.ca.us/CouncilVacancy. For more information, contact city clerk Christa Freemantle at cfreemantle@folsom.ca.us or 916-461-6035.