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Mr. Raygor inquired if they were considering changing the requirement to two years or less. <br /> <br />Chairperson Vogt replied yes. <br /> <br />Mr. Raygor stated that there might be costs involved with a special election but there might be <br />someone who resigns with one year and 11 months left in their term on the City Council and the <br />Council then appoints someone. Not only as a resident of the City, but as a citizen of the United <br />States, that is taking away his right to decide who is going to be on the council and who isn't. <br />Those are elected positions. Whether a person has 6 months left in his term, Mr. Raygor <br />personally felt that it was up to the people to decide who fills the term. He thought it was absurd <br />that it is at one year and now they are proposing two years. <br /> <br />Chairperson Vogt inquired if the City has had anyone fit the condition. <br /> <br />City Attorney Goodrich replied that the City has had one. <br /> <br />Mr. Raygor pointed out that it is something that could happen. <br /> <br />Chairperson Vogt stated that they would not be taking away the people's fight to vote for a new <br />candidate. They would be talking about situations where a Councilmember were to resign. <br /> <br />Mr. Raygor replied that they could be appointing someone to a two-year term. <br /> <br />Commissioner Ebel agreed that the proposed change takes away a person's fight to vote. <br /> <br />Mr. Raygor stated that he thought it was bad enough that they could do it for one year. <br /> <br />City Attorney Goodrich stated that the State Constitution and the US Constitution recognizes <br />these situations exist and the proposed changes are not going against what the Constitution <br />states. <br /> <br />Mr. Raygor stated that he did not agree with that. He stated that the United States had a situation <br />where they had an appointed president. Gerald Ford was not elected, he was appointed first as <br />Vice President and then the President resigned making Gerald Ford President. The City Council <br />is an elected position and the residents do have control over what they do in the City. The <br />residents of Ramsey may not have control at the State level but they do have control of what they <br />can and cannot do within the City. <br /> <br />Chairperson Vogt inquired if Mr. Raygor had any concern as a resident as to the cost of a special <br />election. <br /> <br />Mr. Raygor replied no. He did not think the cost should be an issue. He stated that when there is <br />two years left in a term and someone has resigned the people have the fight to vote. <br /> <br />Chairperson Vogt replied that he did not think that anyone disagreed with that. <br /> <br />Charter Commission/July 18, 2002 <br /> Page 9 of 22 <br /> <br /> <br />