S. Russell Officials Tap Former Council Member to Fill Vacant Seat
South Russell Village Council voted 5-1 Feb. 17 to appoint former council member Mark Porter to fill the vacant seat left by Misha Alexander.
South Russell Village Council voted 5-1 Feb. 17 to appoint former council member Mark Porter to fill the vacant seat left by Misha Alexander.
Alexander resigned effective Feb. 1 to address personal matters that would take her outside of the village, she said in a Jan. 28 letter to council.
Council received eight applications for the vacancy, said council member Chris Bell.
The motion to appoint Porter passed 5-1, with council member Mary Rensel casting the sole dissenting vote.
Rensel explained her vote in a Feb. 24 follow-up interview.
“Mark Porter brings such long term institutional knowledge of local government and the law, but I still thought maybe it was a good time to think about building and putting some new skills on the team, that’s why I voted that way,” she said.
The appointment took effect immediately, and Porter will serve the remainder of the unexpired term through Dec. 31, 2029, council President Chris Berger said Feb. 17.
“The council challenged itself to select the candidate that best met the following criteria, in my opinion, demonstrated ability and willingness in council’s work by attending council meetings and committee meetings, engaging in the process through council’s agenda, communicating a concrete vision for the village now and for the future and by demonstrating the work history of successful teamwork to meet or exceed goals and expectations,” Berger said.
Porter had lost his bid for reelection last November. Of the six candidates vying for four open seats, Porter and Dennis Galicky — also running for reelection — garnered the least amount of votes with Porter receiving 471 and Galicky, 498.
Bell received 732 votes, Rensel had 664 votes, Ruth Cavanah won 541 votes and Alexander had 525 votes, according to the final results of the Geauga County Board of Elections.
Council member Gerald Canton thanked residents who stepped forward to apply for the position.
“These are some talented, accomplished people. So, we are very, very lucky,” Cavanagh added.
After Alexander’s unexpected resignation, council members found themselves in an awkward position, Bell said.
“I think we all prefer the democratic process that involves the polls, but this is where we are and I’m excited for where we’re moving to,” Bell said. “I appreciate all the eight candidates because, as everyone else said, I was really, really impressed by every single one of them. Everyone had different, unique skills and every one of them would have been a wonderful fit. But, at the end of the day, we found the person who we thought was best for us today.”
Berger later added the swiftness in filling the seat was to ensure council could pass upcoming legislation with all five seats filled.
“Having a full complement of council members allows for absences while ensuring that the village business gets done,” he said Feb. 23. “Council knows that some council members will be absent in March and April. Therefore, having Mr. Porter in place as soon as possible would be beneficial for the village.”
Porter did not respond to requests for comment prior to press deadline.
