The City Council of Redwood City will appoint an eligible resident to complete the remainder of District 4 Councilmember Michael Smith’s term, which runs through December 2024. Smith announced his resignation last week as he is moving closer to his family in the Northeast.
City staff recommended the appointment process over the alternative route of holding a special election, which would need to be held after January 2023, leaving the District 4 council seat vacant for at least eight months. A special election would also cost the city an estimated $104,000-$124,800, staff said.
As part of the appointment process, the city will advertise the opening and accept applications from eligible community members through Aug. 16. Eligible residents must live within the boundaries of District 4 that coincide with the map approved by City Council in 2019. The latest map, adjusted to reflect 2020 Census data, has different boundaries for District 4. City staff will launch a website and other outreach providing the 2019 map for residents interested in applying to succeed Smith.
Following recruitment, staff will confirm eligibility of applicants. City Council members will then conduct interviews with eligible applicants and make an appointment at their meeting Aug. 22.
In his last meeting on City Council, Smith was lauded for his service to the community, which “extends far beyond this dais,” said Mayor Giselle Hale.
City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz expressed gratitude for working with Smith in his roles on the Palm Park Neighborhood Association, then Planning Commission and then on City Council following his election in November 2020. Diaz says she appreciated Smith’s “thoughtfulness and perspectives.”
“You have helped in many ways us in improving our service to the community,” Diaz said, adding he will having a “lasting impact in ensuring that our analysis and the impact of the work we do has significant rigor.”
