In an effort to maintain transparency and avoid bias, Cleburne City Council unanimously made the decision to keep the Single-Member District 2 (SMD 2) seat vacant until the public can elect the person in May.
Councilmembers asked for letters of interest from qualified individuals to fill the seat after Christopher Boedeker started his new role as Johnson County Judge. Three people submitted a letter of interest.
At the regular council meeting on Jan. 10, Mayor Scott Cain explained that the original thought was to appoint someone if one person showed interest or if someone wanted to hold the seat in the interim without running in the upcoming election. Now that there are enough candidates to have an election, Council made the decision to allow voters to make the decision on Election Day.
Mayor Cain thanked those who showed interest and noted that other individuals also expressed interest in running for the council seat in May. Therefore, he said it would be best to not show bias to one of the candidates by appointing someone in the interim.
“I think it would be the better course for us to allow the voters to elect their candidate fairly and in an open seat, rather than council appointing someone to run as an incumbent,” said Mayor Cain. “We’ll continue doing the business of the City until our fifth councilmember joins us.”
Election Day will be Saturday, May 6. Applications for a place on the ballot may be filed beginning Jan. 18 at 8 a.m. More information about elections is available here.