Fountain Valley council expected to appoint a new member soon to fill seat vacated by Mark McCurdy

The Fountain Valley City Council seat vacated by Mark McCurdy could be filled as early as next month.

The four current council members indicated to staff Tuesday night that they intend to appoint a new member instead of holding a special election to fill the seat McCurdy held until he resigned last week. The appointment could be made as early as the next council meeting Feb. 6, when each member intends to bring forth a candidate.

The seat is up for public vote in the regular election in November.

The Orange County registrar of voters office projected that a special election to fill the spot would cost $176,000 to $194,000, according to city staff.

Council members said it is more financially prudent to appoint someone.

McCurdy, an insurance broker who was first elected to the council in 2010, said in a statement announcing his resignation Jan. 15 that he found it “necessary to secure employment outside the area” and he would have to step down.

However, some residents alleged Tuesday that McCurdy was “bullied” by fellow council members because he disagreed with them.

Some council colleagues in recent years had frowned on McCurdy’s absences at meetings about the city’s strategic plan, which includes goals to help the city boost economic stability, promote business and maintain facilities. McCurdy said he did not attend the meetings because they lacked detailed minutes, were not televised and were held early in the morning away from City Hall.

McCurdy said last month that he felt targeted when he was passed over by his colleagues for the mayor and mayor pro tem positions.

Resident Kim Constantine, who ran unsuccessfully for a spot on the council in 2016, suggested Tuesday that the panel appoint her to fill McCurdy’s seat.

“We don’t want any of your cronies,” she said.

In the 2016 election, Constantine finished third in a field of four candidates for two available seats, receiving 21.9% of the vote, according to the registrar’s office. Current Mayor Pro Tem Steve Nagel and Councilwoman Cheryl Brothers were the highest vote-getters.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN

UPDATES:

2:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the appointment process.

This article was originally published at 1:10 p.m.