Council Sets Election to Fill Vacant Seat

After failing to agree on an appointee to fill the City Council seat left vacant by the death of Joseph Crosby, the council has decided to put the matter on the ballot.

The four-member council voted unanimously Wednesday to hold a special election Nov. 14, the date of a scheduled school board election.

Crosby’s widow, Jane, one of the names mentioned as a possible appointee, has already announced her attention to run.

Crosby, 69, who was elected to the council a year ago, died of cancer April 19. The winner in November will serve until Crosby’s term expires in 1992.

City Clerk Ruby Kerr estimated that the election will cost the city between $10,000 and $12,000, depending on the number of candidates. “The county charges us by the page” in the sample ballot, she said. “If there’s only one candidate, with one statement, it might cost us only $10,000. If there are a lot of candidates, it could cost us more.”

In addition to Jane Crosby, others mentioned as possible candidates at the council meeting were retired contractor Frank Novarro, one of the losers in last year’s council election; ex-Mayor Ted Shaw; attorney Robert Weaver and preservationist Amadee (Dick) Richards.

Kerr said the council has the option of appointing an interim council member to serve until the election. “They didn’t mention it at the meeting,” Kerr said, “but that’s still a possibility.”