Antioch Council approves appointment process for new City Treasurer, hires recruiting firm for new City Attorney
City Treasurer application process begins Wed., Aug. 15
By Allen Payton
During their meeting on Tuesday, August 14, 2018, the Antioch City Council approved the process for appointing someone to replace former City Treasurer Donna Conley for the remainder of her term.
Conley resigned her elected, part-time, paid position at the end of July as she and her husband, former Councilman and Planning Commissioner Jim, moved out of state. Her term runs through December 2020. The council decided to open the appointment process using a letter of interest, resume and nomination paper with 20-30 signatures of registered Antioch voters. Applicants will have the opportunity for a five-minute presentation to the council during their meeting on Sept. 11, 2018, at which time they will vote to fill the vacancy. It is the same process used to fill by appointment the vacancy in the City Clerk’s position in 2011, when Jolene Martin retired.
If the council doesn’t take action within 60 days, by default, a special election would be called, Interim City Attorney Derek Cole explained. The cost of a special election would be $260,000.
Thorpe said “It is too late for the November election. Prior to the meeting, we had a discussion about this. I think we had a public comment. The city clerk said “no we couldn’t have it on the November ballot.”
“Part of it is the administrative inertia. Candidly I just wasn’t able to put the staff report together until this meeting,” Cole stated. “Probably on a dead rush we might have been able to call a special election. Deadlines for candidates and initiatives are different.”
However, City Clerk Arne Simonsen disputed that.
“The process is similar to a regular election,” he said. “No action could be taken until the resignation took effect. The same period applies when you have a special election. We probably wouldn’t be having an election until January. It didn’t fit into the calendar. There’s no way it could be on (the November ballot).”
Thorpe said, “I just heard two completely different things and I’m blown away. But, I’m supportive of an appointment.”
Ogorchock pushed to have an applicant’s resume included with their letter of interest with a 400-word limit. The rest of the council agreed.
Simonsen said, “information will be available at the City Clerk’s office beginning Wednesday morning”, August 15.
City Attorney Recruiting Firm Hired
The council also voted to hire a recruiting firm to fill the position of a full-time city attorney on a 5-0 vote. Cole works for the city on a contract basis from his law firm on a part-time basis. Following the recruitment process, the council will vote to hire a permanent replacement for former City Attorney Bill Galstan. The cost will be $26,400 for the cost of the consulting firm’s work. It is one of only two positions the council hires directly, the other is city manager.
