By Gregory Childress
gchildress@heraldsun.com; 419-6645
CHAPEL HILL -- With the appointment of Donna Bell to the Town Council on Monday, one chapter in the controversial saga of Bill Strom's untimely departure was closed.
But judging from comments made during the council meeting, it's quite possible that another chapter has begun, this one centered on the process used to fill council vacancies.
Several council members, including the newly appointed Bell, said Monday that it might be time to rethink how the town fills such vacancies if citizens are unhappy with the process.
"If we as a community are not satisfied with the process that led to the events of this fall, then there's nothing to prevent us from changing that," Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said Tuesday.
Strom's resignation, which was effective Aug. 1, angered some residents, many of whom believe he timed it so citizens could not elect his replacement in the Nov. 3 Municipal Election.
If the council was interested in changing the process to either allow for a special election, which is unlikely, or modify the existing provision in the town's charter, it would require permission from the General Assembly.
"If the council wanted to pursue that, that would be the appropriate step," said Town Attorney Ralph D. Karpinos.
Town officials said the council will begin working on its legislative priorities next month and could include a request to change the process for filling vacancies if it so chooses.
Had Strom resigned three days before the filing period ended July 14, voters would have been given an opportunity to choose his replacement in the Nov. 3 election. The fifth-place finisher in the election would have been elected to fill out the remainder of Strom's two-year term.
Kleinschmidt said one possibility might be to change the charter to move the cutoff date to fill vacancies in an election year closer to Election Day, the way it was in the mid-1990s.
"I don't know what the right answer is," Kleinschmidt said. "What I would welcome is a community dialogue."
Councilwoman Laurin Easthom said the council simply played the hand Strom dealt it.
"We just defaulted to the ordinance that we had at the time," Easthom said.
While Easthom said she would be willing to explore changing the process for filling the vacancies, she is not certain a change is warranted.
"It's highly unusual for a council member to abscond without notice," Easthom said. "I'm open to all discussions about it and I'm open to change. I just don't know what it would be."
Many citizens had urged the council to appoint the fifth-place finisher in the Nov. 3 election to fill the Strom vacancy. They contend that it was the fairest way to fill the seat given the manner in which Strom resigned.
Others, however, lobbied the council to replace Strom with an African American to ensure the town's black community is adequately represented.
Bell was one of two African Americans to apply for the vacant post.
She received six of eight council votes to get the nod over Matt Pohlman, the fifth-place finisher in the Nov. 3 election who got two votes.
