Santa Rosa’s new council members take seats Tuesday

Santa Rosa’s three new City Council members will be seated Tuesday in a meeting that could put to the test all those campaign pledges about civility and cooperation.

After Chris Coursey, John Sawyer and Tom Schwedhelm are sworn in, the first order of business for the new council will be to choose a new mayor.

There’s just one problem - there will be no one to run the meeting.

Both Mayor Scott Bartley and Vice Mayor Robin Swinth are stepping down, meaning that when it comes time for the new council to select a mayor, no one will hold the gavel.

“It’s probably unprecedented for both the mayor and the vice mayor to be off the council,” said Erin Carlstrom, who is herself eyeing the post.

In their absence, City Manager Sean McGlynn thinks city staff can effectively step in to fill the void. City Clerk Terri Griffin has agreed to run the mayor vote.

“I’m confident that we’re going to acquit ourselves in these unusual circumstances really well,” McGlynn said.

He said it’s an exciting time that gives the departing council members the chance to look back on their service and others to look toward the future.

Some council members are concerned, however, about asking a city staff member, even one as well regarded as Griffin, to play a role in a process as political as the selection of the mayor.

Traditionally, the mayor typically opens the floor to nominations which are then voted on in the order they were made. In many cases this can result in the first person nominated being named mayor, with other candidates not being considered.

Councilwoman Julie Combs has proposed an alternative voting method. She worries, she says, about putting staff in the position of deciding who will get to make the first nomination.

“That’s unfortunately a lot of pressure for a staff member,” Combs said.

Instead, Combs is proposing a “friendlier” process whereby all the nominees are named and then the field is winnowed down through a series of votes until the last one standing is declared the mayor, she said.

The process is a more open and transparent one that makes it easier for the council to “find a consensus candidate,” Combs said. She noted that the council uses that same voting process to fill vacancies on boards and commissions.

But that would involve changing the council’s adopted voting procedures, which would take a two-thirds vote of the council, or five votes, to set aside, said City Attorney Caroline Fowler. She said she can’t remember the council ever taking such an action.

In addition to Carlstrom, who was elected in 2012, John Sawyer is being discussed as a possible candidate. Sawyer served on the council from 2004 to 2012 before stepping down to run for county supervisor.

Some suggest Sawyer, a longtime downtown merchant who served a partial term as mayor in 2008, may be able to win the unanimous support of his colleagues, while that may be a tougher task for Carlstrom.

The 31-year-old attorney and new mother announced plans to succeed state Sen. Noreen Evans just 10 months after taking office. She then withdrew from the race, briefly considering Supervisor Mike McGuire’s seat before deciding instead to run for the 10th Assembly District, where she came in a distant third in the June primary.

She said she knows people talk of her as a carpet-bagger “behind my back,” but she said she’s now committed to staying put in Santa Rosa, building her law practice and running for council again in two years.

“I can tell you I’m not going anywhere for a while,” she said.

Carlstrom said she’s open to discussing a new voting process, but is “a little skeptical” whether doing it the night of the vote is wise. The alternate method potentially invites “political gamesmanship” when a more direct method may make more sense, she said.

In Santa Rosa, the mayor serves a two-year term and is paid $1,200 per month, compared to $800 for other council members. The vice mayor serves a one-year term. The powers of the mayor include setting the council agenda and making appointments to various boards and commissions.

“My feeling is that the person who is mayor is a mayor among equals, for the most part,” Coursey said.

He declined to say whom he’ll support for mayor. More important than who is selected is that the council make the decision “without rancor,” he said

“It’s not something that I’m willing to fight about tomorrow,” Coursey said.

Following the selection of mayor, a vice mayor will be selected.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.