The Jefferson city council will appoint someone to fill the vacant second ward seat left by the resignation of Dan Benitz last month.
The consensus among council members was that a special election at this time would be a waste of money since there’s a regular election in November. The appointee will serve only until that election. The position will be on the ballot then, and the appointee would have the option to run for the seat. The person must be from the second ward and would serve until the Nov. 2019 election.
The appointment can be done at the June 27 council meeting. Anyone interested in the position should contact mayor Craig Berry or call the city office at 515-386-3111 as soon as possible.
Matt Wetrich, who ran for the seat in the regular election in 2015 and again last November to fill the vacancy created by Lisa Jaskey’s relocation, attended the Tuesday council meeting. He gave notification that he is interested in the position.
After the appointment, the electorate can still call for a special election.
