Sylvania seeks council applicants
2/15/2007Sylvania residents who are interested in filling a vacancy on Sylvania City Council are being asked to submit letters of interest.
Councilman Mark Bula will vacate his seat March 1. Mr. Bula, who last week announced his plans to resign, is moving from Sylvania.
He was elected to city council in fall of 2005.
Barbara Sears, council president, said that according to the city's charter, council has 30 days in which to make an appointment to the vacated seat. If council doesn't fill the seat within 30 days, it would be up to Mayor Craig Stough to make an appointment.
According to Mrs. Sears, residents qualified and interested in the open seat should forward their resumes and letters of interest to Barbara Sears, President of Council, City of Sylvania, P.O. Box 409 Sylvania, OH 43560. All resumes and letters of interest need to be received no later than Feb. 23, she said.
The person appointed to the vacancy would have to run this November to retain the seat and complete the two years remaining in Mr. Bula's term.
Mayor Stough said that the vote for Mr. Bula's unexpired term would be a separate vote from the four four-year term council seats that will be on the ballot in November.
Qualifications for city council are outlined in the city charter which is available at the city's Web site, www.cityofsylvania.com.
Mr. Bula said that he read a statement to council members during their meeting last week to make sure that his comments were put into the record. In his statement, he said that the decision to resign "has been extremely difficult.
"I have enjoyed serving my community and am proud of my record," he said.
He noted that he campaigned for lower taxes and open government as well as for improving government and fiscal planning.
"These measurements were accomplished in 2006 due to my efforts and the efforts of other forward thinking council members," he said.
"Sylvania is on the brink of re-creating itself. I am excited about its future if our citizens continue to embrace new ideas and elect representatives who think independently and not go-along to get-along," he said.
"Diversity of opinion and constructive debate will move this city forward," he added.
Mr. Bula told council that he is resigning so that he can continue to support his wife's professional development; she has been offered a job in Memphis, he said.
Later in the week, Mr. Bula said that he was considered as an "outsider" when he campaigned, but many people were willing to answer his knock at their doors and listen to what he had to say.
"A lot of people believed in me," he said.
Between now and March 1, he would like to wrap up some key initiatives, including council's visioning process that is designed to guide decision-making on the future of Sylvania.
He said he made strides in keeping residents informed about city government through his Web site, and he has encouraged council to upgrade the city's Web site so it provides more up-to-date information.
"The community is interested in being more informed," he said.