After another appointment deadlock, Del Mar council members will consider a special election – San Diego Union-Tribune

The Del Mar City Council again reached an impasse Oct. 21 over naming a replacement for former City Council member Dwight Worden, who resigned in September for health reasons and will consider whether to hold a special election next month.

The city set a late September deadline for residents to apply for the vacancy and planned to appoint someone on Oct. 7 and have them sworn in on Oct. 21. This option would have avoided a special election, which could cost the city up to $250,000.

Former Planning Commissioner Ted Bakker and Finance Committee member Jeff Sturgis were the only two applicants by the original September deadline.

After two rounds of voting on Oct. 7, the council was a two-to-two tie on who to appoint. The city then extended the application deadline another week in hopes that an expanded applicant pool would help resolve the tie.

During that time, Bakker resigned, leaving Sturgis and two new applicants under consideration for the Oct. 21 meeting: Planning Commissioner Jas Grewal and attorney/mediator Nicole Gesher.

Sturgis said he stayed in the race because his “interest, intensity and reasoning” remained unchanged.

“I believe my skills match what the City Council needs for the issues and challenges facing the city,” he said.

Grewal, who has served on several city commissions and other panels that advise the council, said she hopes to fill that gap.

“I’m putting my hat in the ring because I believe I could be the consensus candidate so we can move forward and address the needs of our city without falling into the vicious circle we found ourselves in last time and I hope he wins. “It won’t end like that this time,” she said.

Gesher had no experience in city government but works as a mediator and sits on the board of trustees of the San Diego Jewish Academy.

“I can’t say that I have been actively involved in civic life,” she said, “but I have followed the events in the city with great interest, as they deeply affect us all.”

Mayor Dave Druker and Councilman Tracy Martinez voted for Grewal. Council members Dan Quirk and Terry Gaasterland voted for Sturgis. A second round of voting ended with the same result.

Gaasterland made a request to city staff to draft a resolution to hold a special election by mail-only ballot for consideration by council members on Nov. 18, which passed 3-1. An all-mail vote would cost slightly less than a special election that includes in-person voting.

“I believe that this popularly elected council member for the fifth seat will have far more power and agency at this point than if one of us said, ‘You know what, I’m leaving.’ “To change my vote,” Gaasterland said. “I think at this point we have no choice but to hold a special election.”

Druker was the only person to vote against the motion, having made comments at the last two meetings about wanting to avoid the expense.

“The concept of democracy is important, but 80% of the people in Del Mar are not here,” Druker said. “They don’t want us to spend money on something like that. We have many other projects we need to spend money on.”

If the council decides next month to hold the special election by absentee ballot only, it could take place as early as March 2025.

If the council does not vote to hold a special election on Nov. 18 and there is no appointment, the seat could remain vacant until the regular election in November 2026. Under state law, the city has 60 days from Worden’s resignation, November 23, to make a decision.

Attorney Leslie Devaney said she advised the council in a closed session about “the option of doing nothing and the risks associated with that,” referring to leaving the seat vacant by 2026, but she could not publicly go into detail .

Originally published: October 22, 2024 at 12:14 p.m