Public to Speak Out on How Aldermen Fill Vacancies

The Somerville Board of Aldermen is holding a public hearing Tuesday about how to fill vacancies on the board when members resign.

The matter has been a hot topic among Somerville political watchers over the past year.

A debate about the matter was sparked by the resignations of former Ward 1 Alderman Bill Roche in December of 2012 and former Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan in May. In both cases, the outgoing aldermen appointed replacements, who were approved by the whole Board of Aldermen.

The issue was also driven by the Somerville School Committee, which replaced its resigning Ward 1 representative by holding a three-month selection process in which the committee reviewed resumes, held public interviews and ultimately voted on the new committee member.

For some, allowing resigning aldermen to appoint their replacement is a tradition. It also maintains a chain of accountability from the electorate: Residents vote for an alderman based on that person's policy views, judgement and experience. If that alderman steps down, the electorate, in theory, trusts his or her judgment to name a suitable replacement.

For others, appointing replacements represents a backroom-deal culture that lacks transparency and public process.

The Board of Aldermen's Legislative Matters Committee has been trying to codify methods for replacing aldermen who resign, and those methods could require changes to the city charter.

A current proposal involves replacing such vacancies with second-place finishers from the previous election, as long as the second-place finisher received at least 40 percent of the vote.

If the second-place finisher refuses the appointment, a ward's School Committee representative would be named. And if the School Committee member refuses the appointment, the Board of Aldermen would hold a selection process, advertising the vacancy, soliciting applications, and interviewing finalists before making a choice.

You can read more about the proposal here (download agenda item 2a).

It should be noted that this dilemma exists when aldermen resign with less than a year until the next election. If they resign with more than a year to the next election, the city would hold a special election to determine the replacement.

Tuesday's public hearing is at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

More

• No More Handpicking Replacements, Says Proposed Rule Changes for Aldermen
• Echevarria Steps Down from School Committee, Steven Roix Appointed