Tiburon residents will vote for a new council member in November after town officials opted for a special election in November to fill a vacancy.
The Town Council decided to not appoint a council member to fill the slot left by former councilman David Kulik, who resigned in May to move back to San Diego for family reasons.
Kulik resigned with about three and a half years left on his term, so an election is required, said Mayor Holli Thier.
So far, Thier said three candidates have filed to run and three others are considering entering the race. The candidates who have filed include Tiburon residents Noah Griffin, Lenore Nguyen and Kathleen Defever.
The filing deadline is Aug. 6. Whoever wins the single open seat would serve the remainder of Kulik’s term, which ends in 2024.
The Town Council had the choice between appointing an interim council member to serve until Nov. 8, 2022, or calling a special election for Nov. 2.
Thier said she was in favor of a special election, but suggested appointing someone to fill the vacancy in the meantime. The council said it can make do with only four members until the next election.
“I think we’ve been functioning fine with the four of us,” said Councilmember Alice Fredericks at a special town council meeting on May 18. “We’ve never hit an impasse. We are respectful of each other and make decisions even when we disagree. … Democracy is expensive, but it’s worth every penny.”
Town Clerk Leah Stefani said the town has about 6,700 registered voters and it will cost between $53,600 and $80,400 to hold a special election.
“Election costs are less when election costs are shared with other jurisdictions or agencies with races on the ballot,” Stefani wrote in a staff report. “Most cities and agencies in Marin County have moved their regular elections to even years. Currently, there is no cost sharing anticipated for the November 2021 election. Tiburon would likely bear the entire cost of the election.”
