MOUNT VERNON – The Knox County Board of Elections reported on Wednesday that 21 Mount Vernon residents met the Sept. 4 deadline to file a petition to run for a seat on the city charter commission.
28 petitions were taken out in total, according to the BOE, although seven were not completed by the deadline.
In order to successfully file a petition, city residents had to collect 50 signatures from other city residents who were also registered voters. It cost $45 to take out a petition.
These 21 residents will have two months to run for a seat on the commission, as the vote will take place on November 6. At that time, Mount Vernon residents will vote first on whether or not to elect a charter commission. Voters will then choose 15 of the 21 names to be on the commission that would frame the city’s first charter, which could alter the way Mount Vernon’s government operates.
While Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Mavis said in July that the goal was to get 25 names on the ballot, he seemed content with the final number on Friday.
“I’m pleased that we had more than 15,” Mavis said. “I think that was a goal, was to have a selection on the ballot so when people look at those various names, they can find people they’re familiar with, they’ve heard about, or they feel they can put in place to help write the type of government they want to put on the ballot a year from now.
“That number isn’t magic, but it gives people a choice.”
Mavis said he was impressed by the quality of the candidates who will appear on the ballot.
“I’ve looked at the list of people and they’re all very capable individuals,” Mavis said. “I’m pleased with the number of people and the quality of people on the ballot.”
Elected city officials, such as the mayor or members of city council, were not eligible to file a petition.
The Board of Elections provided a list of the 21 residents who filed petitions by Tuesday’s deadline (in no particular order):
- Kathleen M. Hursh (Teryl Drive)
- Don Carr (Upland Terrace)
- David Randall (Edgewood Road)
- Gary Koester (Eastgate Drive)
- Gordon Yance (New Gambier Road)
- Jeffry D. Harris (Woodlake Trail)
- Michael P. Hillier (E. Sugar Street)
- Michael Percy (Greenbrier Drive)
- Kenneth Reynolds (Greenbrier Drive)
- Sam Filkins (E. High Street)
- Clint Bailey (E. Vine Street)
- Jeffrey Scott (New Gambier Road)
- Todd Hawkins (Kester Drive)
- Inge Krajenski (E. High Street)
- Bruce Malek (Dixie Drive)
- Tanner S. Salyers (E. Lamartine Street)
- Carrie Hyman (Howard Street)
- Randy Cronk (Spruce Street)
- Jody L. Pritchard (W. Walnut Street)
- Julia M. Warga (E. Sugar Street)
- Cindy Cunningham (Woodlake Trail)
The Board of Elections will officially approve the 21 petitions next Thursday, making them eligible to be on the November ballot.
The charter commission, if elected, will be tasked with writing a city charter that details the way in which Mount Vernon’s government operates. The commission will have one year to write the charter and campaign for it, as voters will decide whether or not the city should adopt the proposed charter in the 2019 election.
Before that, however, voters will decide this November whether or not a charter commission will be elected in the first place. If the charter vote does not pass, the commission will not be elected.
Mavis encouraged people to vote for commission members regardless of whether or not they voted for a charter, just in case the charter passes.
On July 23, city council voted 5-2 in favor of adopting legislation that puts the question “Shall a commission be chosen to frame a charter?” on the November ballot. Local leaders have mixed opinions on whether or not a charter government would benefit Mount Vernon.
Last month, Knox Pages ran a three-part series aimed at answering the big questions surrounding the concept of a charter government. To read that series, click the links below:
- Defining a charter, part one: What is a charter government?
- Defining a charter, part two: The pros and cons for Mount Vernon
- Defining a charter, part three: Have charters worked for other cities?
