January 16, 2026

Dear Ward 5 neighbors, 

Next Tuesday, the Council will appoint a new, interim at-large councilmember to fill the vacant seat created by former Councilmember McDuffie’s resignation in December. Per the Home Rule Act, when there is a vacant Independent seat, the Council is to appoint an interim until such as a time as a Special Election can be held. You can tune in to the Legislative Meeting where we will vote on this interim appointment here. 

Candidly, I wish this process had been more transparent and open. Ideally, neighbors would have been able to watch a roundtable where the individuals being considered would be asked to share more about their reasons for interest in the at-large position and their priorities for the office. Instead, a different approach was taken by my colleagues, and we are now preparing to vote for a yet-to-be-released name on Tuesday. While the process has been less than ideal, I have confidence we will select a capable and qualified individual and am grateful for the enthusiastic interest shown by the 30+ people who threw their name in the hat for consideration.