HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/04/2022 03B. Election of Mayor 1
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BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AGENDA STATEMENT
Item No. B.
For Meeting of: January 4, 2022
ITEM TITLE: Election of Mayor
SUBMITTED BY: Robert Harrison, City Manager
SUMMARY EXPLANATION:
Article II, Section 3 of the Yakima City Charter reads in part as follows:
"The Council shall choose its own chairman at its first meeting and at the first meeting after the
subsequent biennial elections. The chairman shall have the title of Mayor during the biennium for
which chosen..." City Charter,Article I I, Section 3. Further, the City Council Rules of Procedure
state: "The Council of the City of Yakima, immediately after its election and qualification, shall
elect from among the members a Mayor and Assistant Mayor." City Council Rules of
Procedure,Art.A(1).
"There is created the position of assistant mayor who shall be the mayor pro tem of the City of
Yakima. During the absence or disability of the mayor, the assistant mayor shall have and perform
all of the duties and functions of the mayor. The assistant mayor shall be elected by the city
council from its members." YMC 1 .24.
This summary serves as a reminder that the City Council meeting of January 4, 2022, is the
appropriate meeting for the selection process to occur to choose a mayor and assistant mayor for
the next two years. This also serves as a reminder that according to the requirements of the Open
Public Meetings Act (RCW Chapter 42.30), the voting procedure must occur in an open meeting.
While the Charter specifies no method for choosing the mayor, historically in Yakima, that
selection has been made by a vote of the Council members following nominations from the floor.
A nomination does not require a second. Roberts Rules of Order gives the following example:
Member: "I nominate Council Member A." The chair repeats the nomination and asks if Council
Member A accepts the nomination. If Council Member A accepts the nomination the chair
states: "Council Member A is nominated. Are there any further nominations?" When it appears
that no one else wishes to make a nomination, the chair should again ask if there are any further
nominations; if there is no response, the chair declares that nominations are closed, without
waiting for a motion to that effect. After nominations have been closed, voting for that office takes
place. The vote should be by roll call (or some other method that is "open") and not by a secret
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ballot or method by which the vote would be an "anonymous" vote. (AGO 1971 No. 33).
ITEM BUDGETED:
STRATEGIC PRIORITY:
APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL BY THE CITY MANAGER
RECOMMENDATION: