The Crossville City Council will leave the seat of the late Council Member James Mayberry vacant for the remainder of his term.
Mayor R.J. Crawford said the council had the option to appoint a replacement for the final four months of the term. Crawford said the decision followed a review of the city charter and consultations with state officials regarding the process for filling vacancies.
“I have no interest of filling the seat either,” Crawford said. “So if that’s the case, then in honor of James’s memory, we’ll not fill that position for the remaining four months at this time. I move that be a motion for that. I move we do not fill the seat.”
Council members Mike Turner and Mark Fox agreed with Crawford, and all three voted to leave the seat vacant. Turner said the short duration remaining in the term made an appointment unnecessary compared to if a year or more remained.
“You know, in memory of James,” Turner said. “Four months. If it was a year or so… but I agree with that.”
Fox said leaving the seat open avoids giving an unelected individual an unfair advantage in future elections. Turner said that the vacancy could lead to tie votes over the next few months, and maintaining the empty seat is the best way to respect Mayberry’s service as an elected official.
“I would agree that if our charter does indeed allow us to not fill it, I would suggest we don’t fill it,” Fox said. “I think in and realizing that it could result in some two-to-two ties on things for the next three or four months, but I think it helps honor his efforts.”
The council also passed a formal resolution declaring the seat vacant to allow the election commission to move forward with a special election. Crawford said this action enables Election Commissioner Jill Davis to file the necessary paperwork with the state to include the seat on the November ballot.
Crawford said the council reached out to the Municipal Technical Advisory Service to ensure the decision to leave the seat vacant complied with the city’s governing documents.
The special election for the seat will take place alongside the general election in November. Crawford said the newly elected council member will be sworn in on December 5.
