Filling the seats of the City Council in Calistoga has never been more dramatic than presently. After having left the city council meeting on December 18, excusing himself to feel sick (you can review my previous blog), Carl Sherrill turned in his resignation a few days later to mayor Chris Canning.
In his letter he states that the councilmembers "demonstrated an arrogant disdain for the democratic process and for simple fair play" referring to the 3-1 vote that put Jim Barnes in the vacant seat instead of Charlotte Williams. And he further states: "his narrowly-constituted group clearly believes that they know what is best for Calistoga, but their vision of our future is far different from mine," here referring to the other councilmembers, mayor Chris Canning, Mike Dunsford, Gary Kraus, and newly-elected Jim Barnes.
Sherrill continues to explain that he does not see himself making any difference by staying on the Council, because he would have to face a 'stacked deck' as it is. Surely disappointing his many voters, Sherrill, however, sees the writing on the wall and opts out. Clearly, a major shift has taken place on the Council, and it will be interesting to see what that brings in 2013 and beyond.
Now, the question is: who will fill the new vacant seat? Here, the council can decide to hold a special election, can appoint someone from the recent election, or could call for applications from the general public. We will have to wait until the next council meeting on January 15 to know the outcome. Therefore, the drama continues...
