Farmington Officials Set Council Interviews Sept. 26-27

Farmington officials have set up two evenings of interviews next week with eight applicants seeking the council seat vacated this month by Michael Wiggins.

The interviews, which are open to the public, will be conducted at Sept. 26 and Sept. 27, at 6:30 p.m. each night. Officials could make the appointment the second night; they also have a regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 3.

At a Monday night study session, Mayor Tom Buck pointed out the goal was to get the word out about the appointment by the time absentee ballots go out in the first week in October. The timing matters, because six of the eight candidates are on that ballot.

"The issue is just a little public education if we were to choose one of the candidates," Buck said. He added that even if a candidate is appointed, he or she could remain in the running for a four-year term.

The appointment fills out Wiggins' term, which expires in 2013.

Council member David Wright, who was appointed to the council in February 2007 and then ran in November of that year, asked whether all deliberations had to be done in an open forum. He asked whether he could talk with an individual colleague about the appointment.

City attorney Tom Schultz said, technically, one council member could talk with another council member, but thought that would be "a bad idea," because in reality, it is unlikely that conversation would not be shared with other officials.

"The statute intentionally prevents that," he said. "You can, however, all talk to the candidates individually."

Wright warned his colleagues that the discussions he planned to have would be "very frank and open, and if that ends up in the paper, so be it."

Council member JoAnne McShane said officials can talk about the qualities they're looking for in a potential candidate. Council member Valerie Knol added her understanding that council members could express an opinion in a casual encounter.

"I think what council member Wright was talking about is a conversation on the merits of the candidates," Schultz said.

Wright added, "And if I can't do that, the law is stupid. You're telling me I can't talk about anything related to the candidates, or I'm violating the law."

Buck said the idea is to have a "frank and open dialogue" about the appointment.

Officials also discussed the qualities they want to see in a successful candidate, which included a strong background in finance and/or economic development, a demonstrated commitment to the community, the ability to publicly represent the city and to be a "quick study."

Whether the applicant would be willing to run at the end of the appointment was also a factor for some officials. Knol suggested asking the two applicants not on the ballot why they chose not to run. She said officials often endure public criticism, which can affect how someone looks at an issue. 

"You have to have a little bit of toughness to be able to handle criticism," she said. "For that reason, I think it's important to know whether they'll run."

After the interviews, officials will follow the same procedure they used in appointing Wright, ranking their top two or three candidates. So even if the selection isn't unanimous, Knol said, they can "be comfortable that we are all getting our first, second or third choice."