Goodness, it took over five hours to interview the 11 applicants for the open council seat due to the resignation of Willie Bradford.
It was long. It was painful. And in too many instances not very enlightening.
Too many candidates expended their allotted ten minutes and ran out of time without finishing their presentations.
And when it came to answers to questions, it became an open flood gate for hot air with little substance.
There are several issues that will undoubtedly influence votes that will not be openly discussed.
The first is should the council replace a black council member with a white applicant? In other words, is it politically a good decision to put Lee O. Savage in the seat that was occupied by Willie Bradford?
A second issue is putting a person in the interim seat who says they will—or may—run for the seat this fall. Put another way, will their selection give an unfair advantage in the Nov. primary?
Only Rose McCulloch stated affirmatively that she would not seek election to the District A seat. Others said they would definitely and other hedged their bets with vague answers. Of course, McCulloch’s verbal commitment is not binding.
A third consideration is independent mindedness. Put another way, what relationships does an applicant have with current council/past council members and the public perception of the “fairness” of the selection because of the same.
The interviews were really a virtual “beauty contest” that probably will not have that much influence on the actual votes. Needless to say there will be plenty of “back room” discussions that will decide the votes.
Expect a short meeting on Thursday for the vote. The time is yet to be announced for this special meeting.