Harrisburg’s MLK Jr. City Government Center (file photo)
Who will be the next member of Harrisburg City Council?
On Tuesday night, city residents will find out who will fill the open seat on the seven-member body, as sitting council members interview and then vote to appoint the next member.
In all, 20 residents submitted applications for the slot. According to the city, they are:
- Lewis Butts Jr.
- Nicole Collins
- Crystal Davis
- Joan Downs
- DeRon Jordan
- Cole Goodman
- Lavet Henderson
- Thaddeus Hill
- Rhonda L. Howard
- Elyse Irvis
- Robert Lawson
- Lamont Jones
- Jessica Marpe
- James Bear Murray IV
- Tina Nixon
- Pamela Parson
- Kathryn Rhett
- Seth Rubinstein
- Patricia Stringer
- Aaron W. Ward
The council seat is open following the resignation of former council member Dave Madsen, who left after he was elected to the state Assembly. He now represents the 104th House district, which includes a large part of Harrisburg and several neighboring east shore communities.
Council has devoted all of Tuesday’s meeting, which starts at 5:30 p.m., to the selection process.
First, council will give candidates one to two minutes to introduce themselves. After that, sitting council members will be able to nominate one of the candidates. Council will then interview the nominees, followed by one or more rounds of voting. The first candidate to get four votes will earn the appointment.
The new council member will serve the remainder of Madsen’s term, which runs through January 2024.
Council last went through this process in October 2018, when now-council President Danielle Bowers was appointed to the seat vacated by former council member Cornelius Johnson.
Seventeen people applied for that seat, though only 15 went through the selection process, as one was eliminated in the city’s vetting process and another didn’t attend the meeting.
Editor’s Note: We have updated this story after receiving a new, updated list of applicants from the city clerk’s office.
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