Politics & Government
Who Should Fill the Open City Council Seat?
Within a few weeks, Councilmember Kevin Mullin will vacate his council seat. Whom would you like to see take his place?
South San Francisco City Council will have an open seat by Dec. 3, when councilmember Kevin Mullin is scheduled to take office as District 22 State Assemblyman.
The remaining 4 councilmembers will have 30 days following the start of the vacancy to decide how to fill the spot. The council can either appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of the term; appoint an interim replacement to fill the seat until the next election; or leave the position vacant and immediately call for a special election.
At a regular meeting that ran past 11 p.m. on Wednesday, the council decided to tentatively consider appointing a new member, yet left open the option of a special election and also remained undecided on whether an appointee would serve until next fall or through the entire term. Councilember Mullin recused himself from the discussions surrounding finding his replacement.
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This past summer, Mark Nagales of the South City Parks and Recreation Commission and congressional aide to Jackie Speier, submitted paperwork to begin fundraising for a 2013 run for City Council. Nagales says he would consider running in a special election if the council called for one after Mullin's departure.
"I'm considering all options," Nagales said.
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According to City Clerk Krista Martinelli, Nagales was the only person who had filed to set up a campaign committee to run in the next City Council election, as of Tuesday.
This would be Nagales's first run for City Council. In addition to his work for Congresswoman Speier, he has also worked for State Senator Fran Pavely, while she was a state assemblywoman in Southern California and for Gene Mullin, former state assemblyman.
Nagales said that Gene Mullin, also a former South City mayor and Councilmember Kevin Mullin's father, first inadvertantly planted the seed of running for council when Nagales was a student at South City High School and Mullin was teaching a class in government.
When asked about his potential competitors, Nagales said that "it’s all rumors right now. Everyone’s just waiting to see what the council ends up doing."
At Wednesday's meeting, council tentatively agreed that they would like to receive applications before the week of Dec. 17. More information on this process will be forthcoming from the city clerk's office.
Tell us in the comments below who would do a great job on City Council -- whether they've ever considered elected office or not.
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