It has come to my attention that, because council member Jan Marx has run for and been elected mayor of San Luis Obispo, her former council seat is now open and will be filled by a vote of the exiting council members instead a vote of the citizens of San Luis Obispo. Is this not an affront to democracy?
Given this undemocratic situation, the only fair and just course of action for the council is to appoint the candidate with the next highest votes in the last election, Dan Carpenter. Then the problem with the city charter that permits a council seat to become vacant in the middle of the term and filled by appointment of the council needs to be addressed with a referendum or initiative to change the city charter.
The City of Morro Bay did it. So should SLO.
— Marty U’Ren – San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Dec 2-9, 2010.
