Council Votes 4-2 to Appoint Dane Slater Mayor Until November 2013
As of Monday evening, there are no plans to hold a special election on Feb. 26 to elect a new mayor.
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Troy City Council voted 4-2 Monday evening to appoint Dane Slater Mayor of Troy until November 2013.
Slater has served as acting Mayor of Troy since Nov. 12, following the Nov. 6 recall of Janice Daniels, who held the position for a year.
Council members Maureen McGinnis, Jim Campbell and Dave Henderson voted "yes" along with Mayor Slater; Councilmen Wade Fleming and Doug Tietz voted "no." Council also voted 4-2 Monday to accept Slater's resignation from Troy City Council, which was required in order for him to serve as mayor. Fleming and Tietz again voted "no" on the resolution.
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Slater's appointment came after council voted Wednesday not to seek the advice of the State Attorney General regarding the mayoral replacement procedure during a special meeting. The special meeting was called in response to a letter sent Nov. 16 to Troy City Attorney Lori Grigg Bluhm from state Director of Elections Christopher Thomas, who wrote: "It is the position of the Bureau of Elections that the City is required to conduct a special election to fill the vacancy on Feb. 26, 2013."
Before Monday night’s vote, Tietz said he would “have no problem supporting Councilman Slater if the facts were the same" as on Nov. 12, when council chose Slater to serve as mayor for the next year during a study session. Tietz added he was not ready to vote on the appointment until he got “some resolution from the state."
Henderson – who often sides with Fleming and Tietz when council is split on an issue, as it was with the vote to contact the State Attorney General – chose to support Slater Monday evening, saying the time to contact the state had passed.
"I want to get this over with,” Henderson said. “I don't think the people of Troy want this belabored any more."
Before the vote, Slater voiced his support for City Attorney Lori Grigg Bluhm, who has faced criticism from some since receiving the letter from Thomas.
"I'm willing to resign tonight because I have the faith in the city attorney that she can defend this,” Slater said, adding that Troy is a home rule municipality whose City Charter allows council to appoint a replacement mayor and council member in the event of a recall.
“Why is the state trying to tell the city what to do? That concerns me.” Slater said after the meeting. “I think every resident of Troy should want us to make the decisions.”
The City of Troy is accepting applications until noon Wednesday for Slater's now-vacant position on Troy City Council. For more on Monday's meeting, check out Troy Patch's live chat replay.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 11:15 p.m. Monday with additional information and quotes.
Patrick Medici
9:18 pm on Monday, November 26, 2012
Thats great! 3 weeks post election and they're still trying to sort out the replacement mayor issue. When do the tax paying citizens of Troy start getting some attention from this council?
Dale Murrish
9:22 pm on Monday, November 26, 2012
Yes, as I predicted, two months of turmoil as they sort out the post-election recall fallout
Sue Martin
6:54 am on Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Actually, this council, this city, this governing body HAS it sorted out. Atty. Bluhm affirmed last night that she performed her due diligence with the city charter, county elections board and even the state when she and Clerk Bittner formulated their response for the electorate in September.
The only turmoil is being manufactured by those unhappy with the recall results. Regular business is not only being conducted efficiently, it's being conducted with the good of all Troy residents in mind.
Things are well in hand as far as this council is concerned.
B. Yaldo
4:25 pm on Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Kudos to Councilman Henderson for his two votes last night, in support of appointing the new mayor.
I’m not a fan of him. Yet, I made it a point to thank him in person when I met him this morning at the Transit Center groundbreaking ceremony.
I told him that with his vote, he helped Troy move forward in a decisive manner, and by that, hopefully avoid another chapter in drama. I told him he has earned my respect! And he was appreciative of that.
I see opportunity in the future for him (and maybe others on Council) to act in a statesmanship-like manner, and break ranks - if necessary - in service of the greater good of the community.
One can only hope…
Lynn Gross
9:28 pm on Monday, November 26, 2012
There is nothing to sort out. Our council is following the city charter, as is their obligation. Our city attorney and clerk duly researched the issue and a majority of council supports their opinion. Daniels' supporters are trying desparately to stir up turmoil by insisting the AG get involved - that is a waste of taxpayer money and council's time!
Peoplearenuts
9:54 pm on Monday, November 26, 2012
Bluhm can't be recalled - she was not elected. She can be fired tho, and the sooner the better. You can never get a straight, timely answer out of her. What does she do and what are all her underlings doing? They all need to go but I am sure that won't happen.
canseeallsides
9:12 am on Tuesday, November 27, 2012
NOW YOU'RE LOOKING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION! SHINE THE LIGHT BRIGHTER... CORRUPTION SCATTERS IN THE LIGHT! Bullies will run to the hills if you stand up to them even a little, and she is one of the biggest (still left). Document everything and hold each accountable. No excuses. Once, shame on them. Twice, shame on us.
Barbara Koehn
5:19 pm on Tuesday, November 27, 2012
I am pleased that the City Council decided to move forward and begin to heal Troy.It appears to me that the City Attorney had contacted Oakland County elections officials and state officials before she and our city clerk wrote the guidelines for what would happen if and when the recall was a success. It seems to me that everything has been followed according to the information received and the interpretation of our charter.
It is time for the council to get to the business of returning Troy to the wonderful place it has been in the past. While my preference for Mayor would have been Maureen McGinnis, I am sure that Mr. Slater will do a good job as mayor. He runs a good meeting and if last night's meeting was an example of his ability to run a meeting, he did a wonderful job. As a person who was the Parliamentarian of a major organization, I was quite pleased with the way Mr. Slater ran the meeting and appeared to be well versed in rules and procedures.
I was also pleased with Mr. Henderson's input and ability to work with other members of the council and move forward. It would be a good idea for Mr. Fleming and Mr. Teitz to get on board and to stop their personal agendas. It is time for ALL of our council members to work TOGETHER for the betterment of Troy. We have a charter, we have a City Manager and we have a council. We still need 1 more member, but we can MOVE FORWARD NOW, if the members are willing to work together-Troy depends on you to LEAD!! Go for it!
Mark
8:49 pm on Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Hilarious.
So now you're all pleased with CM Henderson?
How long before the belly-aching starts and there are claims that it was political maneuvering on his part?
When the State sues and forces an election perhaps?
Slater will be out of as Mayor and Council. There will be speculation that Gosselin orchestrated the whole thing and Henderson helped make it happen with this vote.
Enjoy the praises while you can Mr. Henderson. Won't be too long before they're calling you an "extremist", "Gosselin's lap dog", or an "idiot" again.
Chris P.
9:14 pm on Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Don't mistake being pleased with his decision with being pleased with everything he has done. Councilman Henderson has been a big part of the problem here in Troy. But last night he certainly stepped up and made a decision that was right for the community. Without knowing what Gosselin and the extremists in town are up to, it's hard to trust his motives, quite honestly. We shall see. In the meantime, the truth is, many people respect his decision last night and are expressing appreciation for it.