Thread by @liamsadams, Westminster City Council kicking off and it's looks a little different this [...]

Westminster City Council kicking off and it's looks a little different this week. There are only six members of city council present and the are being led by Acting Mayor Anita Seitz. Last week, former Mayor Herb Atchison resigned. #copolitics

Tonight's meeting will be an eventful one. I'm expecting public comments related to the swearing in of Anita Seitz as mayor, council will have to decide on a new mayor pro tem, and council will vote on a resolution to order a recall election for Councilor Jon Voelz. #copolitics

For some context, my story on Atchison's resignation: https://westminsterwindow.com/stories/westminster-mayor-herb-atchison-resigns,376236 #copolitics

Westminster Mayor Herb Atchison resigns

Westminster Mayor Herb Atchison announced his resignation at the end of Monday night. Atchison’s announcement came unexpectedly to the public and members of city council at the end of a …

https://westminsterwindow.com/stories/westminster-mayor-herb-atchison-resigns,376236

For more context, my story last week on Seitz's appointment last week as acting mayor. Tonight, she will officially be sworn in as mayor. https://westminsterwindow.com/stories/anita-seitz-becomes-acting-mayor-of-westminster,376251 #copolitics

Anita Seitz becomes acting mayor of Westminster

Following the sudden resignation of Herb Atchison as mayor of Westminster on May 3, Anita Seitz has become acting mayor. A statement from the city on May 4 said the appointment of Seitz, former …

https://westminsterwindow.com/stories/anita-seitz-becomes-acting-mayor-of-westminster,376251

Public comments will be a meeting unto itself. 9 emails, 3 voicemails and 2 live comments.
First live comment: someone explaining U.S. Christian history. "Our country was not just founded by Christian values, but by Christians who made a covenant with God," the commenter said.

The commenter is criticizing council for not passing a resolution at the last meeting acknowledging national day of prayer. This is the same person that prayed over city council a few weeks ago.

Found it! https://twitter.com/liamsadams/status/1386851119813390338

https://twitter.com/liamsadams/status/1386851119813390338

Next public comment from a guy named "Tim" (didn't catch his last name), who is speaking out against Seitz's appointment as mayor. He will be the first of many, since the recall group posted on FB and sent an email encouraging ppl to make public comments about Seitz's mayorship.

Next up: Ellen Buckley, who speaks in support of Atchison and Seitz. "I'm very sad that he (Atchison) had to leave under these circumstances ... I'm I’m very happy to welcome Anita Seitz," Buckley said.

Buckley added that the recall "Wasted taxpayer money, they are continuing to double down and waste taxpayer money. No one should vote to recall Councilor Voelz." #copolitics

Next, Debbie Teter, a lead organizer with the Westminster Water Warriors, the recall group, who asked the other members of council who were targets of the recall group to resign alongside Atchison. She also wants there to be a special election to fill the mayoral seat.

"Please, let the voters speak," Teter finished her comments. #copolitics

Little response to this from members of council. Already onto staff reports. City Manager Don Tripp did respond to the recall proponents, though. "available to speak to any of you, if you would like to have any information from me directly."

Just to return to the public comments portion, because there were many emails that weren't read aloud, but that I will still note. All 9 of those emails submitted criticize Seitz's appointment and show support for the recall. #copolitics

Again, there is a reason for all these comments. The Facebook post from the Westminster Water Warriors, encouraging people to submit public comments. #copolitics

K, onto council comments. Most significant comments on the political situation is from Councilor Kathryn Skulley, who first thanks Atchison for his service and offers a word of encouragement to Seitz becoming mayor. #copolitics

Skulley also said she wanted to be mayor pro tem at one point, but that she has thought about it and realized that her campaigning for mayor pro tem would be "for selfish reasons." So, she throws her support behind Councilor Rich Seymour. #copolitics

Seymour hasn't been typically seen as part of the alliance on council amongst Atchison, Seitz, Skulley and Voelz. So, that "reaching across the aisle" gesture is not light. #copolitics

Next, Councilor Lindsey Smith, who is seen as an ally on council by the recall group. And her comments show why: Smith calls Atchison's resignation "a calculated effort." #copolitics

Smith said Atchison's resignation was coordinated to avoid a recall election for him and trigger the appointment of Seitz. She said certain members of council and members of the public "were kept in the dark." #copolitics

Smith said there should be better legal opinion on the city charter as to the selection of the mayor, giving her support to the idea of a special election. "Let me remind my colleagues: we work for the people at the will of the people," Smith said. #copolitics

K, up to Councilor Voelz (who will be the sole ticket on the recall election ballot). He said comments earlier (from the public and perhaps others), "were not in any way, a way to unify our city ... I just want to say that on the record, right now," he said firmly. #copolitics

WOAH again! After Councilor Skulley "reached across the aisle" to show her support for Councilor Rich Seymour becoming mayor pro tem, Seymour said he is withdrawing his name from that contest. #copolitics

Meaning, it is very uncertain at the moment who will be selected as mayor pro tem later this evening. #copolitics

Now onto Seitz's comments. She first thanked Atchison for his 40-plus years of service. She then indirectly rebuked Smith, saying, "I'm also not a lawyer, but it was very clear to me that this was a responsibility I was taking on," when she became mayor pro tem in 2018.

She also noted that she cut her term on council short to take this much shorter term of mayor. "That’s a sacrifice I am willing to make to help lead this wonderful community forward," she said. #copolitics

Anita Seitz takes the oath as the new mayor of Westminster. #copolitics

WWWWWWOOOOOWWW. Council now voting on mayor pro tem. First round of voting ends in a tie. 3 votes for Rich Seymour, 3 votes for Councilor David DeMott. #copolitics

Round twooooo 2222222: a tie again: 3 votes for Seymour, 3 votes for DeMott. #copolitics

Lots of political dynamics to break down right now. Basically, council is now split 3 and 3 amongst Seitz/Voelz/Skulley vs. Smith/DeMott and kind of Seymour (his alliance with the other 2 has varied on the issue). Atchison used to make up a majority alongside those first 3.

Round 3: same votes.
Round 4: same votes.

I have a guess what's happening here, but I want to be careful, since I do have the ballots. But, a good guess is that Skulley, Seitz and Voelz do not want DeMott to be mayor pro tem. So, I could see those 3 votes for Seymour being from them.

But again, I don't have the voting tickets, so I can't say for sure.
Round 5: same votes. #copolitics

Round 6: tie
Round 7: tie
What's the story here? Westminster City Council is deadlocked as to who will be the No. 2 on council. #copolitics

Okay, because we are about to finish round 9 and it will likely be a tie, council has requested permission from the city attorney to enter into discussion about their votes and their reasons for it. #copolitics

Again, to review alliances, at least in this circumstance: Seitz/Skulley/Voelz and Seymour/DeMott/Smith.

Voelz said he is voting for Seymour because he doesn't want to select a mayor pro tem of someone who is not on the ticket for city council in the November election, which DeMott will be. #copolitics

Seymour said he is voting for DeMott.
DeMott, obviously voting for himself.
Seitz is voting for Seymour.

Smith said she is voting for DeMott. "He would create a balanced council … we need a mayor pro tem that is out working hard for our community."

Now, a dispute has broken out between DeMott and Seitz. "I find that a strange move towards unity”, DeMott said to the mayor about her voting against him.

Seitz responds, "The temperament exhibited there does show me some concern." #copolitics

Discussion ends, and we enter into round 10 of voting for mayor pro tem. 3 votes for DeMott, 2 votes for Seymour, 1 vote for Skulley. But that's still not the majority of council, so we will have a round 11. Someone is not budging on not voting for DeMott. #copolitics

Round 11: 3 votes for DeMott, 1 for Seymour, 2 for Skulley. #copolitics

Back from a bio break. Round 12 yields same votes as round 11. Meaning, no one is budging on the votes for DeMott. And if there is any way out of this stalemate, those 3 votes have to change.
Round 13 is the same. #copolitics

Round 14, goes back to the round 11 count: 3 for DeMott, 2 for Seymour, 1 for Skulley
Round 15: 3 for DeMott, 3 for Seymour

Seitz asks City Attorney Dave Frankel what happens if they are at an impasse. His answer: "it is my recommendation that a mayor pro tem is selected tonight." So, we proceed to round 16. #copolitics

Round 16: 3 for DeMott, 2 for Seymour, 1 for Skulley.
City Clerk Michelle Parker said they have RUN OUT of pre-printed ballots, so council will now enter into round 17 with sticky notes. #copolitics

Regardless of how the votes flip-flop here and there, one thing is made clear: Seymour, DeMott and Smith are sticking together. Until, their goal is, at least, DeMott becomes mayor pro tem. #copolitics

Round 17: 3 votes for DeMott, 2 for Seymour, 1 for Skulley.
Round 18: same as Round 17.
Does Guinness have a world record for the most amount of rounds of voting for mayor pro tem on a city council?
#copolitics

Round 19: 3 for Seymour, 3 for DeMott.
Round 20: same as round 19.

Round 21: 3 and 3.
Round 22: 3 for DeMott, 2 for Seymour, 1 for Skulley.
Round 23: same as round 22.
#copolitics

Round 24: 3 for Seymour, 3 for DeMott.
In case these numbers don't make sense to people who didn't see my original description like a billion tweets above: the 6-member Westminster City Council is in round 25 of voting for a new mayor pro tem. #copolitics

Round 25: 3 for Seymour, 3 for DeMott
Round 26: same as Round 25.
Seitz has asked to suspend this portion of the agenda until the end of the meeting, after regular business. Motion unanimously passes. #copolitics

After 1 hour and 4 minutes (includes bathroom break) and 26 rounds of voting, Westminster City Council still hasn't selected a new mayor pro tem. We move onto public hearings and other new business.

Just moved through 5 agenda items very quickly. Now onto a resolution ordering a recall election for Councilor Jon Voelz on July 20, 2021. #copolitics

Enter into discussion on the item. Councilor Jon Voelz asks how much it will cost. City Clerk Michelle Parker said they haven't solidified the number, but an "educated guess" is $200,000 to $250,000. #copolitics

Voelz asks his fellow councilors if he can recuse himself from the vote. "I can’t think more of a conflict of interest," he said.
Council gives him permission.

Skulley also said to Voelz, in a solemn tone, "I have to vote in support of this, because it is the will of the people."
Westminster City Council passes 5-0 a resolution ordering a recall election for Councilor Voelz on July 20, 2021. #copolitics

Quick intermission from the politics for a COVID-19 update from Public Works and Utilities Director Max Kirschbaum. Right now, hospitalization rates in Jefferson and Adams counties are in a place that won't trigger tighter restrictions once the counties move into level clear.

So, right now, both counties are in level blue. But on May 16, they will move to level clear (no restrictions). However, if hospitalizations go passed a certain threshold when they are in level clear, they will have to return to level blue. A visual of that:

So, right now, hospitalizations are at a level where restrictions wouldn't tighten, if the current hospitalization rates stay where they are.

We return to the main event of the evening: selection of a mayor pro tem.
Begin Round 27! [insert boxing bell ding sound]

We're back at it. The stalemate that is. Round 27 produces 3 votes for DeMott, 3 for Seymour. #copolitics

We've crossed the 30 threshold! Counts for the last three rounds
Round 28: 3 for Seymour, 3 for DeMott
Round 29: same as round 28
Round 30: 1 for Skulley, 2 for Seymour, 3 for DeMott. #copolitics

Round 31: 3 for DeMott, 3 for Seymour
Round 32: 3 for DeMott, 2 for Seymour, 1 for Skulley
Round 33: 3 for Seymour, 3 for DeMott.

Round 34: 3 for Seymour, 3 for DeMott
Round 35: same as round 34.
Seitz opens it up for more discussion. Seymour said,"With the idea of reconciliation in mind, I would like to release my fellow councilors from voting for me." (AKA 'vote for DeMott') #copolitics

Round 36: 3 for Seymour, 3 for DeMott
Round 37: same.
Voelz interjects and asks if there is some sort of power sharing agreement they can come to. Otherwise, he said, "we will be here all night." #copolitics

City Attorney Dave Frankel said it doesn't appear the city charter allows for it. All the city charter spells out is the term length of the mayor pro tem, and that a new mayor pro tem can be selected after a city election. It doesn't say anything about "power sharing."

Round 38: 3 for DeMott, 3 for Seymour
Round 39: same
Round 40: same
Round 41: same
Bathroom break. #copolitics

We're back. And council is releasing the judge for the evening, so the judge doesn't have to wait around to swear in a mayor pro tem. #copolitics

Voelz suggests a power-sharing idea, in which members of council rotate as mayor pro tem every month, meaning whoever is mayor pro tem would have to resign from being mayor pro tem, so another councilor could be selected. Seitz and Skulley are supportive of the idea.

Smith isn't, though. "We need to follow the charter," she said.
Since we had already kicked off round 42 at the time of us discussing that (^), the count for round 42 is 3 votes for Seymour and 3 for DeMott. #copolitics

Round 43: 3 for Seymour, 3 for DeMott
Round 44: same
Round 45: same
Round 46: same
#copolitics

K, we're taking a quick break to talk about the pre/post briefing meeting agenda about how we will fill the vacancy on council left by Seitz's appointment. Which, I reviewed in one of my stories last week: https://westminsterwindow.com/stories/anita-seitz-becomes-acting-mayor-of-westminster,376251 #copolitics

Anita Seitz becomes acting mayor of Westminster

Following the sudden resignation of Herb Atchison as mayor of Westminster on May 3, Anita Seitz has become acting mayor. A statement from the city on May 4 said the appointment of Seitz, former …

https://westminsterwindow.com/stories/anita-seitz-becomes-acting-mayor-of-westminster,376251

So, the conventional plan is to have people apply, council interview those applicants and then council decide on someone to appoint.

However, DeMott asks about holding a special election. One reason, given the very present reality right now, is that this council of 6 cannot agree on someone to appoint.

Skulley responds, saying she doesn't like the idea of a special election and that she believes council can come together and agree on someone to appoint. #copolitics

Seymour wants to hold a special election to fill this vacancy. His idea was to try and fold it in with the recall election, but the city clerk said that's logistically really difficult to pull off at this point in time. #copolitics

Seitz is in favor of the appointment idea. So, another issue these groups of councilors are divided on. Appointing (Seitz and Skulley say yay) or special election (DeMott and Seymour say yay). #copolitics

After a lot of talking, council has finally given direction to staff. Which is basically what the plan was when we started this discussion. People will apply, council will interview finalists and then appoint someone to fill that vacancy. #copolitics

We're back at it, folks! (For those up at 11:30 p.m. to see what happens to the Westminster Mayor Pro Tem). Start round 47.

Round 47: 3 for Seymour, 3 for DeMott
Round 48: same
Round 49: same

And for the golden vote, the big FIVE O: 3 for Seymour, 3 for DeMott.

Round 51: Same
Round 52: Same
Round 53: Same

Round 54: Same
Bathroom break

Round 55: 3 for Seymour, 3 for DeMott
Round 56: Same
Round 57: Same

Seymour interjects with comment: "Again, thank you for my colleagues ... but I ask for your consideration (for DeMott), as I have already noted, that I won’t accept this position.”

Seitz responds: "When you ran for mayor of the city and were prepared at that point to step into an elevated position in office ... I would ask you to reconsider on behalf of the city. We’re trying to have a candidate here who is an olive branch.”

Skulley makes a comment about DeMott, saying he has "friction" with other members of council and city staff members. "Someone who is to be mayor pro tem has to put those biases aside."

Seitz asks DeMott if he will be committed to city staff and DeMott says, ya. But he also said he "campaigns on things and I do think we need change in the city." #copolitics

It wasn't a satisfying enough of an answer. Round 59: 3 for DeMott, 2 for Seymour and 1 for Skulley.

A slight change, but not in the overall stalemate: 3 for DeMott, 3 for Skulley.

Voelz asks about continuing the meeting to the next day. City Clerk Michelle Parker said it's been done before, the last time was in 1999. BUT DeMott and Smith are against it, so council continued to round 63: 3 for DeMott, 3 for Skulley. Now to round 64.

Round 64: 3 for DeMott, 3 for Skulley
Round 65: Same
Round 66: Same
#copolitics

Round 67: Same
Round 68: Same
Round 69: Same
DeMott interjects with comment and asks Seitz, 'what's the deal?!?'
Seitz responds: "It goes without question that there has been quite a bit of divisiveness." #copolitics

Seitz continues, saying she wants this stalemate to end. She said to DeMott, "I would like us to work together, but I have concerns. And I don’t think that I was persuaded by your comments earlier tonight.” #copolitics

Smith offers her thoughts, saying that this talk of the "olive branch" feels a little one-sided.
Seitz said she wants to continue the voting and "see if any of us can stretch to find a consensus candidate," referring to the other side. #copolitics

We've made it another ten. Round 70: 3 for DeMott, 3 for Skulley.

Round 71: Same
Round 72: Same
Round 73: Same
Round 74: Same
#copolitics

Round 74: Same
Round 75: Same
Bathroom break.
As other councilors have vacated the dais, Seitz and DeMott remain, and seem to be arguing a little bit. But no audio, so it's hard to tell. #copolitics

Back from bathroom break and Skulley is now giving a speech about why she would be qualified for mayor pro tem. Reminder: at the beginning of the meeting, she said she didn't want to be. But now, since she's the other vote-getter, she's giving her pitch. #copolitics

"I'm a proven leader," Skulley said. Then she turns to Seymour, DeMott and Smith, "Why are we at this impasse? What makes the three of you not consider me as the mayor pro tem?” #copolitics

DeMott further addresses concerns that other councilors said they have about him, saying he will work to develop a better relationship with City Manager Don Tripp, who he has been a vocal critic of before.
Still, doesn't do the trick. Round 76: 3 for DeMott, 3 for Skulley.

Round 77: Same

ROUND 78!!!!!!!!
The stalemate ends.
4 votes for David DeMott, 2 for Kathryn Skulley.

Just did the math and it was about 3 hrs total.

Meeting ends.

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