Brea : Council to Decide How to Fill Cooper Vacancy
While Mayor Pro Tem Sam Cooper’s family and friends prepare today for the funeral of the longtime city official, his colleagues on the council plan to meet tonight to decide how to fill the vacant spot.
Cooper, 66, died of a heart attack Wednesday afternoon.
A 1978 city resolution specifies a time frame for accepting applications, interviewing and selecting a council member when a seat becomes vacant, Assistant City Atty. Andrew Arczynsky said Thursday.
Council members meeting at 6 p.m. today may choose to repeal the resolution and instead follow state law, which says an appointment must be made within 30 days but does not specify how long the council has for each part of the process, Arczynsky said.
The procedural resolution with its time restrictions “creates some problems,” which include, in this case, one of the deadlines falling on Thanksgiving Day, he said.
Burial services for Cooper will be at 1 p.m. today at Harbor Lawn-Mount Olive Memorial Park in Costa Mesa.
The family said donations to the newly formed Sam Cooper Memorial Fund can be made. The monies will be used to purchase a memorial for Cooper, perhaps a sculptured rendering of an outstretched hand to represent Cooper’s concern for his community, according to family friend Richard Collender.
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