A vacancy exists on Bluffton council due to an unusual and somewhat complicated drama that unfolded at the Jan. 4 council meeting.
 
With two former council members sitting in the audience – Sean Burrell and David Steiner – because their seats expired on Dec. 31, the four-seated council members acted in the following fashion on the two council vacancies:
 
• By a 4-0 vote, council appointed Burrell to fill one vacancy.
• By a 2-2 vote to appoint Steiner to the second vacancy (Joe Sehlhorst and Phill Talavinia voting yes, and Roger Warren and Richard Johnson voting no), Mayor Judy Augsburger announced the vote failed. Thus, Steiner was not appointed to the second vacant seat, which remains vacant. There was no call for the mayor to break the tie, which the Icon understands is usually the precedent.
 
Background:
 
• Sean Burrell was earlier appointed to Dennis Gallant’s council seat when Gallant was appointed mayor, upon the resignation of Eric Fulcomer. Burrell’s filling of Gallant’s term expired on Dec. 31.
 
On Jan. 4, Burrell appointment filled the vacated Everett Collier seat, who had resigned earlier this year. The vacancy was previously given to Johnson by council appointment. Johnson ran on the November ballot, winning his own seat, thus giving up Collier’s seat. Johnson’s new term expires Dec. 31, 2019.
 
The Collier seat, given up by Johnson upon his election in November, and now held by Burrell, will expire on Dec. 31, 2017. (Burrell ran against Johnson in November and lost.)
 
When Augsburger was appointed mayor in 2014 to replace Gallant who resigned, her council seat was vacant. Council appointed Steiner to fill that seat until the mayoral election in November. Steiner ran for mayor in November and lost to Augsburger, thus also losing the council seat in which he was appointed.
 
That current vacant council seat (once Augsburger’s, then Steiner’s) will expire Dec. 31, 2017.
 
Prior to voting on the two vacancies Sehlhorst moved to reappoint both Burrell and Steiner to the two vacant seats. Roger Warren requested to separate the voting and Sehlhorst’s motion was amended.
 
At that point, Burrell, who was moments earlier appointed to council, remained in the audience because he had yet to receive the oath of office.
 
Next, Sehlhorst moved and Warren seconded to appoint Steiner to the remaining vacant seat. The 2-2 vote kept Steiner from being appointed.
 
Burrell was then sworn in as a council member and the five members moved to advertise that a vacancy exists on council. They will accept resumes until Jan. 19.
 
Council next attempted to name a council president. (Steiner previously held the post.) Johnson moved to name Warren council president. That move was tabled as Sehlhorst requested to wait in appointing a council president until a six-person council was in place. His request passed.