Nine apply for South Lake Tahoe City Council seat appointment

The deadline for submittal of applications for one appointed seat on the South Lake Tahoe City Council closed Friday at 5 p.m. and nine applications have been received, City Clerk Susan Alessi reports.

Applicants will be interviewed in the following order at the Special City Council meeting Tuesday, Jan. 29, beginning at 9 a.m. The first interviewee is Howard Bittner, followed by Kathay Lovell, Joan Walthall, Brooke Laine, Bruce Grego, Austin Sass, Billy Crawford, Scott Valentine, and Kay Ogden.

Applications have been provided via email to each of the City Council Members and have been posted for viewing on the city’s website.

The City Clerk conducted a random alphabet drawing (similar to the process the California Secretary of State uses which is set forth in the California Elections Code) to determine the order of interviews. Present at the drawing was the Assistant City Clerk and Public Information Officer as witnesses.

At the start of the Tuesday, Jan. 29 9 a.m Special City Council Meeting, the Council will discuss the process in which interviews will be conducted. Interviewing could include a set of questions that all applicants will be asked; or the Council may wish to hold more of a “free form” interview process; or any other type of process they agree on.

All applicants will be present in the Council Chambers, unless the Council decides and agrees otherwise.

Mayor Davis will be participating via teleconference, therefore in accordance with the Brown Act, all votes taken during a teleconferenced meeting shall be by roll call. In other words, by voice motion and vote. Brown Act prohibits a legislative body from taking action by secret ballot during a teleconferenced meeting.

If a deadlock occurs, the Council may choose a method to break the deadlock, such as drawing straws, flipping a coin or some other means.

In the event the City Council does not make an appointment, the Council will need to adopt a resolution calling for a Special Election to be held on June 4, 2013.

— Writer Tracy Franklin is the public information officer for the city of South Lake Tahoe