Stan Bogosian
Bogosian Won't Ask The Council To Vote Him In As New Mayor
He'll be pro tem mayor until November election
Council must fill vacancy
By Steve Enders
The Saratoga City Council made a series of decisions on Aug. 11, as members scrambled to get the council back on its feet after the death of Mayor Jim Shaw.
Vice Mayor Stan Bogosian first told the council that he would prefer to finish his current term as vice mayor in honor of Shaw, and would therefore not ask the council for a vote, which would have likely made him the city's new mayor.
Instead, Bogosian will serve until November as mayor pro tem, when Shaw's mayoral term would have normally ended and the council would have had to vote for a new mayor anyway. Procedurally, the vice mayor takes on the mayor's role whenever the mayor is absent.
Custom holds that Bogosian, as vice mayor, would probably be elected as mayor in December, and John Mehaffey, the top vote-getter in the last election, would be brought up to the vice mayor's post. The setup allows for both, if elected, to serve normal, full terms as the city's two top elected officials.
The council is still down to four members, however, and according to law Saratoga's City Council must have five members sitting at all times even though it presently has a quorum.
The council decided unanimously against holding a special election to fill the new vacancy and will instead seek to appoint a new member to finish the remainder of the term until Nov. 2000.
If the council had opted for a special election, it would have been held in March 2000, and the new councilmember would have served only for eight months. Instead, whoever is appointed to the council will be able to serve the remainder of the current term and will be eligible for re-election during the next general election in Nov. 2000.
"I do think it's appropriate," Nick Streit said, "to hold an election if it could have made the November [1999] election so they could serve a one-year term. Unfortunately, the circumstances prevent it."
The Government Code calls for filling a council vacancy 30 days from the time the vacancy occurs. Now, the council will have to launch into a busy three-week selection process--normally the end of August is reserved for summer recess--to distribute and collect applications, interview candidates and make an appointment.
The council will make an announcement of the new councilmember at its regular meeting on Sept. 1.
"We're doing ourselves and the city a huge disservice to operate without a fifth member for a lengthy period of time," Councilman Evan Baker said. "We're going to have to use all best diligence to get the word out."
And the process has already begun. Late last week, City Clerk Susan Ramos began drafting applications, which will ask for a biographical sketch of candidates and seek answers to questions on hot-button city issues such as Measure G, the Mountain Winery and two-story houses.
Applications will have to be filed with the city by 5 p.m. on Aug. 23. The applications will then be sent to Mayor Pro Tem Stan Bogosian by Aug. 25, and he will review them and notify candidates on Aug. 26 that the council would like to interview them.
Interviews will be held at City Hall on Aug. 30 in a special meeting open to the public. The council will then deliberate and make a decision that day, announcing its choice on Sept. 1.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
