Appointment process best option

We support the Los Altos City Council’s decision last week to proceed with the appointment process to fill an open council seat.

Councilmembers are faced with replacing Kurt Colehower, who resigned Nov. 8 after serving one year of his four-year term on the council.

Some might argue that the appointment process is unfair because it takes the vote out of the hands of the people and puts it in the hands of the four-member council.

However, special elections are costly. Holding one the conventional route, with polling places, sample ballots and electronic voting, could cost taxpayers an estimated $423,000. That’s $423,000 that could otherwise be used for repaving roads and other vital services to residents.

A second alternative involves distributing mail-in ballots to residents at an estimated cost of $212,000. This is a less costly and more convenient alternative for residents, but again, the money could be better spent elsewhere.

The problem with special elections is turnout, or lack of turnout, which historically would not justify these costs. This past general election only drew 48 percent of all registered voters, even with 13 state initiatives on the ballot and political ads running on television every three minutes. We can’t imagine a special election inspiring anywhere near a 48 percent turnout to fill one council seat.

Residents who really are interested in the council’s selection will have the opportunity to be heard during the appointment process, throughout the remainder of this month.

Although we think the appointment process is the best option, the onus is on the council to be responsible in the way it goes about its choice.

Although it would be tempting for councilmembers to, say, simply select the runner-up candidate from last year’s election, we don’t feel it appropriate to go back to a fixed point in time.

In addition, it wouldn’t be appropriate to try filling the seat with another Colehower-type personality. Instead, the best course is to level the playing field, hear each applicant out and assess the person’s knowledge and commitment to community issues. In other words, choose the best candidate for the job.

The appointment process may not be ideal, but it is still a democratic process. We elect our councilmembers to make decisions, and that includes appointments to various city government boards. To select a replacement councilmember is not out of line.