Below, courtesy of the UG, is the process of how the new commissioner will be selected.
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The Unified Government Board of Commissioners is looking for citizens interested in filling the vacant At-Large District One position.
The seat was left vacant when Mark Holland was elected as Mayor.
Here are the formal steps established by the Unified Government Board of Commissioners for selecting a new Commissioner to fill the vacant seat.
1. Applicants shall submit the following to the Unified Government Clerk’s Office:
- Their name and place of residence
- A one-page resume of their interest and qualifications for the office
- A description of any previous election experience, including dates and outcome
- A signed authorization for the UG to perform a routine criminal background check
The Unified Government Clerk’s Office is located on the 3rd floor of City Hall, 701 N 7th Street, Kansas City, Kansas.
2. Applications will be due by the close of business May 17
3. The Election Commissioner reviews the applications to determine that the applicants are:
- A U.S. citizen
- A qualified elector of Wyandotte County
- A resident of At-Large District No. 1 (Commission Districts 1, 4, 5, and 8)
4. The Mayor and Commissioners will receive the applications on Wednesday, May 22. If the Election Commissioner has not completed the review set out in paragraph #5, and it is later determined that an applicant is not eligible to hold the position, the Election Commissioner will notify the County Administrator, who will notify the Mayor and Commissioners.
5. A Special Session of the Commission will be held at 4:00 p.m., on Thursday, May 30, in the Commission Chambers to interview the applicants.
6. Each applicant will be allowed a 5-minute presentation, followed by up to 10 minutes of questions and answers.
7. The meeting will be open to the public, but the public will not be allowed to comment. Only the Mayor and Commissioners and the applicants will participate.
8. The order of appearance of the applicants will be determined by lot.
9. Applicants will not be permitted to attend the interviews of the other candidates. Prior to their interviews, they will be set aside in a room with the other applicants without access to cell phones or other electronic devices.
10. At the end of the interview process, the Commissioners will cast written ballots for one applicant.
11. Per opinion of the Kansas Attorney General, the Kansas Open Meetings Act requires that the ballots must be signed by the Commissioners casting the votes. The ballots will be available for inspection by the press and the public.
12. The Clerk will tabulate the ballots and will announce the two finalists with the greatest number of votes. If there are not two clear finalists, balloting will continue until two finalists are selected.
13. Depending on the time after the first round of voting, the Commission will determine whether the second round of interviews and voting will take place on May 30 or at a later time.
14. The Commission will conduct a second round of interviews of the two finalists. The second round will consist of a presentation by each applicant of up to 10 minutes, followed by a question and answer session.
15. After the close of the interviews, Commissioners will again cast written signed ballots for one applicant from the list of two finalists.
16. The Clerk will tabulate the ballots. If one applicant has six or more votes, the Clerk will announce the name as the winner. If the vote is 5-4, the Mayor will vote, and, if one applicant receives six votes, the winner will be announced. If there is a tie after the Mayor votes, additional ballots will be taken.
