The Windsor Town Council is still at an impasse when it comes to deciding how to fill its vacant town council seat and with no plans to revisit the discussion at the next council meeting on July 21, the vacancy topic will likely be placed on the ballot of the next available election date, April 12, 2022. Half of the council, Councilmembers Debora Fudge and Esther Lemus were in favor of appointing someone to the position, with Mayor Sam Salmon and Vice Mayor Rosa Reynoza in favor of holding an election.
The town council is on a fast-approaching deadline when it comes to filling the open seat, which was left vacant when former Vice Mayor Sam Salmon was appointed to the at-large mayor seat on June 2.
If the council fails to call a special election for Nov. 2, 2021 by Aug. 1 or fails to appoint someone to the seat by Aug. 1 the vacancy will have to be placed on the ballot for the next available special election date, April 12, 2022.
With continued deadlock at the July 7 town council meeting, it’s likely that the item will have to go on the April 12, 2022 ballot.
Similar to what occurred at the June 16 council meeting, the council was divided on the option to appoint an eligible candidate to the seat and on the option of calling a Nov. 2 election.
Councilmember Debora Fudge stuck to her stance on wanting to appoint a candidate, but in an effort to offer a compromise, suggested the appointment of former Windsor mayor, Bruce Okrepkie.
“All other Sonoma County cities have appointed council members in the recent past, so it is standard procedure,” Fudge said.
Fudge cited concerns with low voter turnout and the cost that calling a November special election would bring as reasons for her desire to appoint someone to the seat.
A special election would approximately cost the city between $41,000 to $76,000, plus an additional $40,000 to $50,000 in staff time and legal counsel, according to the agenda item report.
“So, it is really quite expensive,” Fudge said. “As an attempt to try to compromise and come up with something different, a few people in the community — and I have permission to say the things I am going to say — went to former mayor Bruce Okrepkie and recruited him and asked him to be considered for an appointment. He thought about it and then agreed. He would be able to hit the ground running and he is respected by everyone I know and he is a middle ground person and tries to find compromise. I think he is exactly what we need now.”
Fudge said Okrepkie agreed on his own and stated that he would not want to vote “yes” or “no,” up or down on the Windsor Civic Center project during his time on the seat if he were appointed.
“He would be willing to wait until after the November 2022 election when there are four seats up,” Fudge said.
She said she thinks appointing Okrepkie would be a logical compromise and noted that Oscar Chavez has withdrawn his name for appointment consideration.
Mayor Sam Salmon said while he thinks Okrepkie is a great guy and is a father figure of sorts, he would want to appoint someone with different politics.
Salmon added that he’s heard loud and clear from Windsor residents that they are the ones who should vote on the vacancy decision, not the council.
Most of the Windsor residents who spoke during the public comment period on the item supported a special election. Only one Windsor Johnson Street resident said he would support an appointment.
“We do need to put this to an election. I don’t feel like we are in a place right now where we would trust necessarily, and no disrespect to the council, an appointment. We desperately need a chance to speak our minds about this and I don’t think anything else would be fair,” said resident Elizabeth Grant Douglas.
Another resident said an appointment would take away the power of the people. One resident, who identified herself as Betsy, said the voters of Windsor need to have a say on who represents them on the council.
“We need to go to a special election, and we need to have it happen in November,” she said.
Salmon expressed concern about the idea of Fudge recruiting someone.
“I did not recruit Bruce. But we did talk, and he called me,” Fudge said.
During her comments, Fudge wondered if Salmon’s claim of wanting to appoint someone with different politics comes from a desire to have someone on the council with politics that align more closely with Salmon’s.
“Bruce and I don’t have the same politics either … He doesn’t fit my politics,” Fudge said. “I believe he would bring a healing tone and bring an end to the incessant campaigning that we go through. I am trying to do what I believe is best for the town.”
Salmon said he believes a special November election is how the vacancy should be filled, but that it will likely default to an election.
Vice Mayor Rosa Reynoza was also steadfast in her position of wanting to call a Nov. 2, 2021 special election in order to fill the vacancy.
“Even though people say they trust us, they want the vote, they want to be heard. I am still leaning toward a special election in November and our town approved a budget that includes a special election,” Reynoza said.
To those who said the town has struggled to adequately complete town business with only four people on the council and that an election would further continue that struggle, Reynoza said town business has been moving forward. She pointed to the lot line adjustment issue that was also up for discussion during the council meeting, and the appeal on the planning commission’s approval of a lot line adjustment on Old Redwood Highway and Entrada Lane that was brought forward by Salmon and how the council was able to take care of the item despite differences of opinion.
Councilmember Esther Lemus’ position from the July 16 council meeting on wanting to make an appointment did not change.
Lemus said she would not support having two special elections — the first of which was in May — and said she would support having the budgeted special election funds go toward a local nonprofit.
Town clerk Maria De La O reminded the gridlocked council that there are other options for filling the vacancy, however, both would involve holding some form of special election.
As an alternative to the Nov. 2, 2021 special election, which would be consolidated with a county election and would reduce the town’s election costs, the council could elect to hold a special election wholly by mail.
The election could be any date that is not less than 114 days from the date the election is called and it does not have to be on a Tuesday. Examples include Nov. 9, Dec. 7, Jan. 11, Jan. 18, etc.
It could also do a mail-in election on an established election day, but that day would be May 3, 2022.
None of these suggestions received council support and Fudge made a motion to appoint Okrepkie to the vacant seat, with Lemus seconding the motion.
Fudge voted “yes” on the motion as did Lemus, but Salmon and Reynoza voted “no” and the motion failed.
A motion was then made to call for a special election on Nov. 2, 2021. Reynoza voted “yes,” as did Salmon, but Fudge and Lemus both voted “no,” another failed motion.
Lemus made a motion to open an application period for the vacancy and Lemus and Fudge voted “yes” on the motion, but Reynoza and Salmon voted “no,” consequently continuing the stalemate.
“This is a deadlock, but this is going to default to an election,” Salmon said.
