The Stockton Town Council took several steps to prepare for an interim mayor during a special meeting Wednesday night.
Stockton Mayor Mark Whitney is resigning at the end of the month and the town council selected a mayor pro tem and outlined the initial set of questions applicants for the vacancy will answer in a public meeting on Feb. 1.
After being re-elected to a third term last November, Whitney is stepping down as mayor, citing undisclosed health concerns and to spend more time with his family. He announced his resignation at the Jan. 11 Town Council meeting.
Councilman Thomas Karjola was selected by the Town Council to serve as mayor pro tem during the time between Whitney’s resignation, at noon on Jan. 31 until the new mayor is selected at a special meeting on Feb. 1. Karjola and Joe Johnston are the two applicants who have submitted the necessary paperwork to be mayor as of Wednesday.
Whitney expressed reservations about Karjola serving as mayor pro tem at the meeting in which the council will select the new mayor to serve until the municipal elections in 2019. Karjola said he would recuse himself from asking questions during the interview portion of the meeting and would not discuss the candidates with the other council members, but did intend to vote on the new mayor.
“I have a real hard time with this, because it’s not fair to the other applicants — at all,” Whitney said. “Do you want to be considered a fair and impartial mayor or not?”
Karjola remained firm on his decision to vote, citing the need for three affirmative votes to confirm a candidate. The council would have three voting members if Karjola did not vote, which would require a unanimous selection.
“I also feel it’s the right thing to do,” Karjola said. “I’m more concerned about doing what I feel is right than about perception. If people perceive it as unfair, then they can perceive it as unfair.”
Karjola said he would be open to voting for another applicant for the mayor’s seat if he was impressed by them.
“Either way, my job is to sit here and vote for who I think is going to be the best choice for that job,” he said. “And if after the interview I feel that’s me, I owe it to my constituents to make that move.”
During Wednesday’s meeting, Karjola recused himself during a discussion of potential interview questions. The town council elected to use questions based upon those used to replace the vacancy created by the death of former Councilman David Durtschi’s last June, as a starting point.
The questions, which are available to applicants to fill the mayoral vacancy, include “What do you believe the three top concerns of the town are?” and “Since the election was so recent, why didn’t you run for mayor against the incumbent?”
Whitney suggested the town accept questions from residents as well, since they do not vote for the interim mayor. Each candidate will have two minutes to respond to each question, with the response timed.
There is still time for residents to apply for the vacancy by submitting a written statement of interest to Stockton Town Hall by Jan. 31 at 11 a.m. During the Feb. 1 meeting, the town council will interview the candidates in an open meeting then select the interim mayor.
Written statements of interest can, but are not required to, list qualifications, education and experience to assist the council with its selection. Candidates must be a registered voter in the Town of Stockton to qualify for the position.