Anaheim Racing the Clock on a Council Vacancy : Politics: Costly special election looms if a compromise candidate can’t be found to fill the seat.

With less than three weeks to go before it is forced to hold a special election, the City Council will make its third attempt to fill a vacancy on the council when members meet tonight.

The biggest turnover on the council in 70 years remains incomplete because members have not been able to find a nominee that a majority can agree on. The council faces mounting pressure from residents not to spend an estimated $100,000 on a special election.

“I’d love to be able to appoint someone and avoid a special election,” Councilman Bob Zemel said Monday. “But that person has to be independent, fiscally responsible and capable of helping lead us out of the fiscal crisis (brought on by the county’s bankruptcy) without giving the public appearances of being a political pal.”

The vacancy was caused by an election quirk stemming from a 1992 charter amendment that changed how the mayor is selected. In the past, the public selected a mayor from among sitting council members for a two-year term. Now, anyone can run for mayor, which is a four-year term.

Mayor Tom Daly was in the middle of his council/mayor term when he ran and won the at-large mayoral election in November. Two years of his council tenure must be filled.

Zemel and Councilman Lou Lopez have refused to support Shirley McCracken, the third-place finisher in November’s council race. McCracken has been nominated for the spot at the last two council meetings by Councilman Frank Feldhaus and has received the support of Daly.

But McCracken, despite considerable public support at the meetings, could not muster the crucial third vote needed to be seated. She is not expected to be nominated again tonight.

Zemel has not publicly endorsed a specific candidate but said he prefers selecting someone who was not among the 16 candidates who ran for election last fall.

“Anyone who ran before and got support either behind the scenes or through an endorsement will be perceived as having a prior relationship with someone on the council,” Zemel said. “We need to avoid that kind of appearance. We have to have someone who is independent because now, more than ever, the confidence in public officials is at an all-time low.”

Lopez has so far favored holding a special election and has downplayed its expense. He has stated that the city has spent at least as much money on consultants for development projects.

Lopez also said that the cost pales in comparison to the $45 million the city could lose in the county’s investment pool. Anaheim has $169 million invested in the pool, which lost $2.02 billion through risky investments.

“The cost of an election is a lot but not when you compare it to the millions we could lose,” Lopez said. “We need to put someone on the council who would make the right decisions about those kinds of budget matters.”

Still, in a recent interview, Lopez indicated that he might back away from his position if a suitable candidate can be found.

“Nothing is concrete,” he said. “But at the present time, I am supporting a special election.”