Pace: Councilmembers should resign to run for mayor

Julie Pace

Courtesy Julie Pace Campaign

Residents want a “resign to run for mayor” law so that voters in PV get to choose the new councilmember if a councilmember runs for mayor and wins. 

Virtually all municipalities have a resign to run for mayor rule, except PV.

Councilmembers Julie Pace and Ellen Andeen moved to add to the council agenda a discussion that councilmembers must resign to run for mayor so that residents can vote for the person who would serve instead of the council position being appointed by town council.

Vice Mayor Mark Stanton and Councilmember Anna Thomasson are both running for PV Mayor.

Vice Mayor Stanton has served the town three times as a councilmember and twice as vice mayor. He prepared to run for mayor for many years and he did it so that voters selected his replacement by voting for newcomer Karen Liepman.

Stanton waited until his third term expired and then ran for mayor.  If Vice Mayor Stanton wins to serve as PV mayor, there is no vacancy on council and everything continues smoothly so that council can focus on town business.  

Councilmember Anna Thomasson chose to run in the middle of her four-year council seat and took away the right of voters to vote for a councilmember replacement if she wins.  She opposed the “resign to run” law in Paradise Valley. 

I understand she has been telling people that if she wins, she will be appointing the person to fill her vacant position on council. That is not how it works. All council members are involved.

The process followed for decades when a council vacancy arises seeks applications, the council interviews candidates and then votes as a majority as to who is appointed to fill the position. Voters do not get to decide.

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.