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ELKINS -- Elkins City Council will meet Wednesday to fill a council seat left vacant by the resignation of Fifth Ward Councilman Charles Friddle.
"I really appreciated all of the work Charlie has done for Elkins during his time on City Council," Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco told The Inter-Mountain. "I respect his decision in resigning from his position and wish him nothing but the best."
The 5 p.m. meeting will allow council to develop a plan for identifying and appointing a Second Ward resident to fill the seat until 2023.
According to press release from the City of Elkins, the city charter stipulates when a council seat becomes vacant, it "shall be filled by appointment of a qualified person by council." The charter further states, in addition to being qualified to vote in Elkins, "councilors shall reside in the ward to be represented at the time of nomination and throughout the term of office." Only voting-age persons who are qualified to vote in Second Ward are eligible to apply for the position.
"A protocol adopted by council in 2016 spells out the process of filling a vacancy in more detail. As required by this protocol, council will at Wednesday's meeting be presented with a proposed resolution officially announcing the vacancy, establishing an application period and deadline, and directing how applications may be submitted," the release states."
According the press release, a draft resolution prepared for the meeting directs candidates to submit resumes in person/by mail to the Elkins City Clerk, 401 Davis Avenue, or electronically to jsutton@city ofelkinswv.com, no later than June 17. Qualified applications will be reviewed by the mayor and council and interviews will be scheduled.
"Interviews are performed by council and the mayor and consist of a standardized set of questions. Answers are scored by all elected officials present, and an average score is calculated," the release states. "The interview step is followed by a meeting at which council deliberates toward its top candidate. Once this candidate's continued interest has been verified, he or she will be scheduled for appointment at the next council meeting."
Persons interested in applying are encouraged to attend council meetings, on the first and third Thursdays of the month, and to learn as much as possible about the structure of the Elkins government.
"Elkins is chartered as a weak-mayor/strong-council system. Under this arrangement, Elkins mayors have almost no authority. Councilors have no individual authority, but, acting as a 10-person body, the council exercises virtually all executive and corporate authority over the City of Elkins," it states in the release. "Through majority votes by a quorum of its members, council passes laws, adopts rules, and sets policy and strategic goals. Council is responsible for adopting the annual budget and monitoring the fiscal condition of the city; councilors can be held individually liable if budgets are overspent."
According the release, the five administrative officers report to council (the city clerk, the city treasurer, the fire chief, the operations manager and the police chief). These officers are responsible for day-to-day operating and administrative decisions for their departments.
Elkins councilors are paid $7,200 a year and can enroll in the West Virginia Public Employees Retirement System. Alternatively, they may forego salary and participation in the retirement system and instead join the city's PEIA health-insurance plan. No other benefits are available to council members.
Phone calls to Friddle were not returned by presstime.