By Brian Biggane
The South Palm Beach Town Council voted at its October meeting to solicit applications for its vacant fifth seat, conduct interviews among applicants at its Nov. 12 meeting and make an appointment by the end of the meeting.
Applicants have until 2 p.m. Nov. 6 to apply. Anyone seeking appointment must be a town resident for at least a year and be a registered voter.
There was much discussion among council members regarding a quote from Vice Mayor Monte Berendes in the October edition of The Coastal Star that someone had “put their hat in the ring,” with Council member Elva Culbertson stating that would violate the Sunshine Law. Town Attorney Ben Saver said that was not the case as the Sunshine Law applies only to members currently serving.
Town Manager Jamie Titcomb said an application had in fact been received in the spring, but the applicant had been told the vacancy would not be filled at that time.
Culbertson said anyone applying for the position should be required to have attended at least six council meetings a year, but Berendes said no one in town would meet that requirement as most meetings draw only a handful of people.
One resident of the Barclay condo said she understood people were reluctant to apply because of the Form 6 financial disclosure. Mayor Bonnie Fischer said Form 6 is being contested in court and thus is not a requirement at this time.
As the discussion concluded, Rafael Pineiro, a two-year resident of the Palmsea condominium, said he would be interested in the position.
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