The Cape Charles Town Council met Thursday to set the ground rules for appointing a candidate to fill the council seat vacated by Councilwoman Dora Sullivan. Mayor George Proto contacted several agencies, including the Board of Elections and the Virginia Municipal League to inquire about standard protocols. It turns out there are none, that Towns across the state handle this in a variety of ways. According Proto, “We have quite a bit of latitude in the process.”
Three possible candidates were on hand and provided public comments on their backgrounds and qualifications.
Long-time resident Butch Vest, Planning Commissioner Dan Burke, and local attorney Cela Burge have made themselves available.
Consensus of Town Council is to conduct private interviews, hopefully scheduled for next week. Mayor Proto stated that he preferred that the interviews be conducted in a public forum, however all of council voted for interviews to be conducted in closed sessions.
Candidates that could not be in attendance will be afforded public comment times during next Thursday’s Regular Meeting at 6:00 pm. Meetings are held at the town civic center located at 500 Tazewell Avenue.
Due to the length of time before May elections, waiting to fill the seat using the electoral process is not an option. A special election in November will take place to fill the seat. The interim council member will hold the seat until the special election takes place.
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