Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Measure U -- Mayor Election change

Under the current charter, the mayor is elected for a four-year term during the same election where we choose councilmembers for districts 1, 4, & 6. Because of this, any councilperson who wishes to run for mayor from those three districts must decide either to run for mayor or reelection to their council seat. However, councilmembers from districts 2, 3, and 5 can choose to run for mayor without having to give up their council seats.

Due to this perceived inequity, the Charter Review Commission looked at how to even the playing field. One option would have been to restrict council members from running for mayor, that is a councilmember would have to resign their seat to enter the mayorial race. This option was determined to not be legal and so was dismissed. The second option was to move the mayor's race off of the same cycle as the council races. One-half of the council is elected in each even numbered year. By moving the mayorial election to an even numbered year, no councilmember would ever lose their council seat in order to run for mayor.

Because the current charter is in effect until after the election, this would mean either waiting until the 2016 election to elect a one-time three-year term mayor, OR, adding a provision for the off-year elections to begin in 2017. This was the option that the commission decided to adopt. Should Measure U pass, whoever is elected mayor in 2012 will serve an additional year (or a 5 year term). Legally, the council must declare the mayor seat vacant after the 2016 election and then make an appointment. It is the desire of the commission that the council at that time shall appoint the sitting mayor for that additional term, although it was not able to be specified in the proposed charter amendment.

NEXT TIME:

Police Commission and City Council Boundries

4 comments:

LinknPark said...

Hey John, any update on whats going on with the old bank downtown, or an update on the Mayfair Hotel? Also, any news on potential people interested in the YMCA? Hopefully that goes to someone responsible who will keep it as is. Just curious, and you are usually the go-to guy for answers.

John Clifford said...

Mayfair is close to having all apartments rented and the upper floors are done. The restaurant and pub are scheduled to open before the first of the year (early Dec.).

The bank is part of the sale to the Charles Group of the former Watt property downtown. There has been no movement on that at all.

Chase is in the process of stabilizing the bank building and we should see the "tarp" coming down soon. There is a rumored sale of the building but we'll have to wait and see what happens with that.

I've heard several ideas on the Y but am not aware of any final decisions on it.

LinknPark said...

Thanks John....I always appreciate the update. Was curious about the old bank because they started taking the sidewalk scaffolding structure down from around it.

John Clifford said...

Just Confirmed!

The Mayfair will be on the Pomona Heritage Home Tour on November 4. The tour will include the main entrance, ground floor restaurant space, basement pub space, and two floors of the new apartments with several apartments open on each floor.