For Immediate Release:
July 29, 2020
City
Council Shares Process to Fill Council Vacancy
On July 25, 2020 Councilmember Jacklyn Ortiz was
elected to serve Monroe County as the Democratic Commissioner of the Monroe
County Board of Elections. Once officially appointed, she will be required to
resign from the office of Rochester City Councilmember at Large. Pursuant to
Section 5-4 of the City Charter, the Council has 30 days to fill the vacancy.
Should no one be selected within that timeframe, the appointment is that of the
City Council President.
A candidate for the office of Councilmember at Large
may live anywhere within the boundaries of the City of Rochester, and must meet
necessary qualifications set forth in Section 5-2 of the City Charter. Any
person seeking the position of Councilmember at Large must currently reside
within the City of Rochester, and have lived in the City for at least 2
continuous years.
Section 5-4 of the City Charter requires that the
remaining Councilmembers from the same Party as the person vacating the office
nominate a replacement who shall be appointed by a majority vote of the
remaining members of the Council. Since all City Council seats are
currently held by members of the Democratic Party, all members will be able to
take part in the nomination and appointment process. If the appointment
is not made by the Council within 30 days of Councilmember Ortiz’s resignation,
then President Scott must appoint a Democrat to the position. The newly
named Councilmember at Large would hold this seat until the end of 2021, which
completes the current term of office.
Upon the official vacancy of the office of
Councilmember at Large, the Council will provide a more detailed process as to
how interested candidates may apply for this position.
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Media Contact: BJ Scanlon
– 585-428-6175