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FW: Filling Omar Torres' City Council seat
From City Clerk <[email protected]>
Date Tue 11/19/2024 2:07 PM
To Agendadesk <[email protected]>
From: Brenda Lee < >
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 2:00 PM
To: City Clerk <[email protected]>
Subject: Filling Omar Torres' City Council seat
You don't often get email from . Learn why this is important To Whom It May Concern:
Please allow the appointment of a competent replacement for Torres effective for the remainder of his term. We don't need a special election that would waste precious resources that the city cannot afford.
Regards,
Brenda Lee
11/19/24, 3:32 PM Mail - Agendadesk - Outlook
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FW: District 3 council person
From City Clerk <[email protected]>
Date Tue 11/19/2024 2:32 PM
To Agendadesk <[email protected]>
From: Donald M Abinante < >
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 2:21 PM
To: City Clerk <[email protected]>
Subject: District 3 council person
You don't often get email from . Learn why this is important I think the replacement for former councilman Torres, should be the candidate who lost in the runoff elec on between Smith and Torres, who was Irene Smith. Irene had the second largest vo ng cons tuency, so she should be appointed to fill the office term of Omar Torres.
Appoin ng the runner up, Irene, is at least an objec ve ra onale to validate the appointment. The council appoin ng a replacement out of a hat would be a disaster. I can remember the absolute nausea I felt when the mayor and city council appointed Shirakawa the son to replace Shirakawa the father. What ra onale did the council indulge in to appoint the son for the father?
Are council seats hereditary? If I remember correctly, the runner up to Shirakawa lost by a hair.
Besides the fact Irene Smith was runner up to Torres, Irene has an impressive record of public service as well as a robust resume of business experience. Further, she was the first candidate to make homelessness an issue in the local elec ons. In short, Irene Smith, the runner up to Torres in the elec on should be appointed to fill the vacant council seat.
Best Regards, Donald Mark Abinante
11/19/24, 3:32 PM Mail - Agendadesk - Outlook
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FW: District 3 Upcoming Vacancy
From City Clerk <[email protected]>
Date Tue 11/19/2024 3:46 PM
To Agendadesk <[email protected]>
1 attachment (98 KB)
SPUR - District 3 Upcoming Vacancy.pdf;
From: Nicole Neditch < >
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 3:40 PM
To: The Office of Mayor Ma Mahan <[email protected]>; District1 <[email protected]>; District2 <[email protected]>; District4 <[email protected]>; District5 <[email protected]>; District 6 <[email protected]>; District7 <[email protected]>; District8 <[email protected]>; District9 <[email protected]>; District 10 <[email protected]>; City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: District 3 Upcoming Vacancy
You don't often get email from . Learn why this is important Dear Mayor Mahan and San José City Councilmembers,
On behalf of SPUR, I am writing to share the attached letter in support of holding a special election to fill the vacant District 3 council seat. We understand the difficult decision that the City of San José needs to make. While appointing a new member could save the city both time and money, it comes at the greater expense of District 3 resident input. SPUR strongly encourages the City Council to opt for a special election to fill this vacant seat, ensuring that the person representing this district has been chosen by the community they will serve.
Sincerely,
Nicole Neditch
--
Nicole Neditch (she • her)
Governance & Economy Policy Director | SPUR
(m)
SPUR
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11/19/24, 3:47 PM Mail - Agendadesk - Outlook
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November 19, 2024
RE: District 3 Upcoming Vacancy
Dear Mayor Mahan and Councilmembers,
On behalf of SPUR, I am writing to share our support for holding a special election to fill the vacant District 3 council seat. We understand the difficult decision that the City of San José needs to make. While appointing a new member could save the city both time and money, it comes at the greater expense of District 3 resident input. SPUR strongly encourages the City Council to opt for a special election to fill this vacant seat, ensuring that the person representing this district has been chosen by the community they will serve.
SPUR is a nonprofit public policy organization dedicated to developing solutions to big problems that cities face. We work to build government's capacity to provide services and address challenges effectively through an emphasis on good governance. In SPUR’s analysis of holding a special election versus making an appointment, we looked at the charters of other California municipalities. California charter cities have a range of practices in place for handling vacancies in elected office between election cycles. We found that other cities outline a bit more specificity about time and approach, with many requiring a special election unless the term is up within a year.
The city has faced vacancies eight times over the past thirty years and has opted for the special election route in most instances. Two years ago the city opted instead for an appointment process to fill two council seats; we hope that approach doesn’t become a trend. With more than two years left on this term, we urge the City Council to move to a special election as soon as possible to ensure that a fair and representative process is carried out.
Given the city’s urgent priorities focused on downtown revitalization, we would also like to encourage the council to appoint someone to serve as an interim caretaker of the position between now and the election.
Sincerely,
Nicole Neditch
Governance and Economy Policy Director
SPUR