A couple of times now, Council discussion has touched on town election dates.
If the Town Charter was revised to allow November council elections, instead of the current May elections, it wouldn't be the first time election dates changed or the charter itself was amended. As an example on past changes to election dates, look at how Christiansburg town candidates who win elections wait until September to assume office, rather than as in neighboring jurisdictions where this occurs July 1 for elections held in May.
In today's Roanoke Times, a story details how a vacancy has occurred on Pulaski's town council and how it may be filled. Town Charters generally address that such vacancies must be filled and the timeframe this must occur in, but not the process.
Even with voter turnout being at historic lows throughout the United States, and a shame as contrasted to other democratic nations, those votes should be considered when a vacancy occurs so close to a recent election.
Just as when Christiansburg voted in a new mayor who ran uncontested and a council seat was then vacated, Pulaski now is facing a similar scenario. When this last happened in Christiansburg in 2006, the discussions were in private and discounted voter input -- appointing a long-term committee person, over experienced town council member Dale Ashworth who ran an unsuccessful campaign for reelection but received the next highest number of votes. Mr. Ashworth's council and committee experience were also discounted in favor of council's own choice made in private.
Will Pulaski Town Council members look to the candidate who ran and received the next highest number of votes? Or will they appoint a person of their own choosing, who didn't chose to run for the office? Will this discussion occur in open meetings, or will council slide the doors of government closed and make this decision under the pretext of it being a "personnel" issue?
This ties access via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requirements with the need for clearly written Town Charters and Zoning Codes, and back to how the "letter and intent" of these documents is interpreted and applied by sitting council members.
Blacksburg changed its town elections from May to November of odd numbered years, in part to dilute special interest groups and in part to increase overall voter turn out. Radford City Council is discussing a similiar change. Pulaski will be deciding how to fill a vacancy, a common occurrence found in how mayors come into office from council and staggered terms, as well as other reasons.
Christiansburg, too, needs to keep the topic of citizen engagement on the front burner, focusing on election dates and how vacancies to key committees are filled as its May elections is creating a vacancy on the planning commission as of September 1. Their process needs to be transparent to the public, engage its citizens and happen expediently. Concurrently, the discussion on examining why newly elected council members assume office 3.5 months after votes are cast and the best date for holding its own town elections should continue.