No Special Election For Upcoming Murrieta City Council Vacancy

MURRIETA, CA — A seat on the Murrieta City Council that becomes open when Mayor Scott Vinton leaves office on Dec. 21 will be filled by appointment versus a special election.

In a 5-0 vote Tuesday night, City Council members decided a special election to fill the impending District 5 vacancy would be too costly.

Councilmember Lisa DeForest said letting Murrieta voters choose was the democratic thing to do, but she ultimately sided with her colleagues.

The appointment will be made by council members — in public — and will cost city staff time plus approximately $1,000 to place a newspaper notice as required by law. A special election would cost that plus $38,000 to $48,000 in county fees, according to a Tuesday night presentation from City Clerk Cristal McDonald.

Only applicants who live in District 5 will be considered for the seat. The application period is expected to open Sept. 27 and close Oct. 18 (details will be available on the city's website). A Nov. 8 special City Council meeting will be held to interview applicants. If needed, interviews will continue during the regularly scheduled Nov. 16 City Council meeting; a final decision and appointment are expected on this date.

The new council member would be sworn into office the same day that Vinton leaves on Dec. 21. A new mayor will be appointed by City Council members on that date.

The current redistricting process will not impact the appointment; the existing boundary lines for District 5 will be used, according to city staff.

The amount of time in office might be short for the incoming council member who will serve out Vinton's term through December 2022. However, the new council member will have the opportunity to run for election next year if desired.

Murrieta City Council members earn an annual salary of $13,610.40, according to the city.

Vinton is serving out his mayorship but is leaving office a year early for personal reasons, he said.

In his letter of resignation submitted to City Manager Kim Summers and McDonald on August 31, he wrote, "It is with a heavy heart that I have made the personal choice to step down from my elected position as council member for District 5 in the City of Murrieta as of December 21, 2021. Although it was my full intention to serve my entire 4-year term, my wife and I have made a life decision to relocate to Tennessee to build our forever home. Many circumstances over the last 18 months have led us to move our original move date of spring 2023 to the end of 2021.

"It has been a tremendous honor to serve this beautiful city," the letter continued. "Without a doubt, this has been a more fulfilling and rewarding opportunity than I could have imagined. The last 3 years could not have been possible without the incredible staff! I am very grateful for and proud of the entire staff, all of whom are committed to doing what is in the best interest of the city. I am constantly in awe of their hard work and dedication. I will miss all of you.

"I am also grateful to have served with my colleagues on the council. It has been an honor to work alongside each of them and I am confident they will continue to strive to make this the best City for our residents, businesses and visitors," the letter said.

Vinton was elected by voters to the Murrieta City Council in 2018. He ran unopposed and received 4,542 votes, according to the election results.

Vinton was appointed by his colleagues in December 2019 to serve as Mayor Pro Tem, and in December 2020 to serve as Mayor.

According to his biography posted to the city of Murrieta website, Vinton and his wife, Lisa, and their five children moved to Murrieta in 2002. Two of the children graduated from Vista Murrieta High School and three graduated from Temecula Valley High School.

Vinton is a licensed civil engineer with Florida-based NV5, Inc. His wife works for the Bureau of Investigation as an investigative technician at the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. All of their children are grown and the couple now has grandchildren, according to the biography.