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.
What happens next? The Interim At-Large Councilmember will serve until a new councilmember is elected in a Special Election (likely in June). Then, the General Election in November will determine the permanent at-large councilmember for a new four-year term, beginning in January 2027.
Whoever is appointed on Tuesday will have their work cut out for them. On January 22, we kick off performance oversight season with dozens of hearings reviewing the performance of District agencies over the past year. You can see the full schedule here and here, and easily sign up to tesify or submit written testimony. I also welcome you to share performance oversight thoughts directly with my office here as I prepare questions for agencies. The Interim At-Large Councilmember will also participate in budget oversight and tackling the FY27 budget season.
