COUNCIL PONDERS VACANCY.Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer PALMDALE - Two of Palmdale's remaining three council members say they favor making an appointment to fill the vacancy VACANCY. A place which is empty. The term is principally applied to cases where an office is not filled. 2. By the constitution of the United States, the president has the power to fill up vacancies that may happen during the recess of the senate. left by Shelley Sorsabal's April 3 resignation. Neither Councilman Mike Dispenza nor Rod Penner would name potential appointees, but both said the council cannot function until November with only three members because of the possibility of abstentions required by conflicts of interest, absences or other problems. ``There's no margin of safety in it,'' Penner said. The council is scheduled Wednesday to discuss making an appointment or calling a special election to fill the vacancy left by Sorsabal, who quit after being targeted for recall, saying she didn't want to put the city and her family through an ugly, divisive di·vi·sive adj. Creating dissension or discord. di·vi  sive·ly adv.di·vi campaign. The council meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers, 708 E. Palmdale Blvd. The city already has a special election called for Nov. 7 to replace former Councilman Kevin Carney car·ney n. Informal Variant of carny. , who in order to fight child molestation Child molestation is a crime involving a range of indecent or sexual activities between an adult and a child, usually under the age of 14. In psychiatric terms, these acts are sometimes known as pedophilia. charges resigned in January from the council seat he had won two months earlier. By state law, the council must either call an election or make an appointment to fill Sorsabal's vacant seat by May 4. Dispenza said Monday that his No. 1 concern is an approaching vote on renewing the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Sheriff's Department contract to provide police protection for the city. Since Penner is a sheriff's lieutenant, voting on the contract would pose a conflict of interest for him. That leaves the council without a quorum A majority of an entire body; e.g., a quorum of a legislative assembly. A quorum is the minimum number of people who must be present to pass a law, make a judgment, or conduct business. . While the Sheriff's Department will continue to provide law enforcement services without a vote, the city could be subject to late penalties topping $20,000 if it fails to approve the cost-of-living increase built into the contract. ``If I have my wish, we'll make an appointment,'' Dispenza said. Dispenza said he prefers to appoint a replacement who pledges not to run when Sorsabal's term expires in November 2001. ``That takes it out of the political arena,'' Dispenza said. Mayor Jim Ledford, who has advocated filling Sorsabal's vacancy with an election, said he does not view the three-member council as being as large a liability as it is portrayed por·tray tr.v. por·trayed, por·tray·ing, por·trays 1. To depict or represent pictorially; make a picture of. 2. To depict or describe in words. 3. To represent dramatically, as on the stage. , and believes the city can reach an agreement with the Sheriff's Department without needing Penner's vote. If an appointment is made, Ledford said, he believes it should be a person with city government experience, such as former Councilman Joe Davies or Planning Commission Noun 1. planning commission - a commission delegated to propose plans for future activities and developments commission, committee - a special group delegated to consider some matter; "a committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours" - Milton Berle chairman John Mayfield. ``The criteria needs to be experience, not political popularity,'' Ledford said. ``I'm not going through a political beauty contest here. It's got to be experience or nada.'' If the council makes an appointment, it must be for the entire 18 months remaining in Sorsabal's term, officials say. City ordinances make no provision for appointing someone only until the next election. However, the council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on an ordinance A law, statute, or regulation enacted by a Municipal Corporation. An ordinance is a law passed by a municipal government. A municipality, such as a city, town, village, or borough, is a political subdivision of a state within which a municipal corporation has been that would make such a temporary appointment possible. The ordinance, if approved, would not take effect until next month, too late to cover Sorsabal's vacancy. |
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