by Mary Rupert
A bill that would require cities and counties to fill a vacancy on their elected boards today passed the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, said Sen. David Haley, D-4th Dist.
Sen. Haley, the sponsor of the bill, said Senate Bill 10 was amended before it unanimously passed the committee. Next it will go to the Senate floor.
A compromise was approved, that instead of a 30-day period to fill a vacancy, a local government would have 60 days to fill it before it would go to a special election, he said.
Another idea that had been suggested, having the top law enforcement official in the county cast a tie-breaker vote, was not approved, he said.
The bill had some bipartisan support. Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, R-5th Dist., who represents part of western Wyandotte County, spoke in favor of the bill at the committee hearing.
Sen. Haley said he proposed the bill after the UG did not fill the open position of the 1st District, commissioner at large. The position has gone vacant for two years, with the UG Commission not appointing a replacement, and is currently up for election this spring.
The UG’s lobbyist opposed the bill, saying it was a matter of local control and that a special election would cost too much.
“A core part of our democracy is having elected representatives,” Sen. Haley said.