City to Hold Special Election to Fill Empty Council Seat

SAN ANGELO, TEXAS – After last week’s scandalous Facebook comments, Bill Richardson’s resignation has left the City with no choice but to hold a special election May 6 during the current city council election.

Tuesday morning, city officials discovered a provision in the Texas Constitution that requires vacancies on a City’s governing body to be filled by a special election if the unexpired term is more than 12 months. This provision also forbids such vacancies from being filled by appointment.

City Clerk Bryan Kendrick, the City’s chief elections officer, said there remains enough time to call for the special election to be held in conjunction with the May 6 2017 City Council Election.

While the City of San Angelo’s charter, which is akin to its constitution, allows for filing vacancies by appointment if the term is longer than a year, the state constitution takes precedence.

Single Member District 1 City Councilman Bill Richardson submitted a written resignation on Saturday to Mayor Dwain Morrison. The remaining city council members will consider accepting the resignation at a special meeting this Thursday at City Hall at 8:30 a.m. Furthermore, the council will also consider the special election during the March 7 city council meeting.

The term in the District 1 seat will expire in May 2019.