On The Agenda: New City Council Member

After a resignation announcement from council member Amber Greves in late October, Minnetonka's City Council is still deciding what to do with the open seat. 

At the council meeting tonight beginning at 6:30 p.m. , the city hopes to make a final decision. Greves' last day on the council is in mid-December.

The city council hosted a special meeting on Nov. 2 to discuss the process to fill the vacancy. The discussion will continue tonight.

The council may appoint a replacement or host a special election. On Nov. 2, the council debated the pros and cons of each option (see attached document).

Mayor Terry Schneider proposed a third solution to minimize the drawbacks of each alternative. He suggested immediately appointing a “statesperson” at the onset of the vacancy. This could be a former mayor, council member or other tenured official known to the community.

With the understanding that the statesperson would serve a limited time, the council would then schedule a special election for spring. Doing so would
provide greater lead time for candidates to prepare and run for office. The city attorney cautioned that there is no way to require the statesperson to resign.