by John Dowd
Early this month, the Town of Stevensville decided to take applications for the new mayor. The decision followed a letter of resignation from the current mayor, Steve Gibson. Only two people submitted applications in the time given, Bob Michalson, the sitting Stevensville Town Council President, and Scott Butler.
Once applications have been vetted, the council will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, November 29 at 6 p.m., where the council will interview the applicants to judge their qualifications for the job. Mayor Gibson, and others, will come up with standard questions that will be asked by the council. Neither the interviewees, nor the council, will have any knowledge about the questions prior to the interviews. However, the council can ask additional questions if they wish.
The same questions will be asked to both candidates and the candidates will be interviewed one at a time. Once the interviews conclude, motions will be made on who to select for the mayorship. The public will be allowed to attend and comment before votes are cast. If none of the candidates are selected, then the town will need to go through the entire process again, and the sitting council president will temporarily fill the role of mayor. Michalson will not be allowed to vote on the issue.
The candidate chosen for mayor will fill the remainder of Gibson’s term, which is two years. The process is listed online on the Town’s website. Gibson’s last day as mayor will officially be November 30, so the next elected mayor will be sworn in by Town Judge Maureen O’Connor on Friday, December 1, unless no new mayor is elected.