When No Election Is the Election
By Terry Roofe, Greater Hilltop resident
Four candidates filed for four open seats on the Greater Hilltop Area Commission this year. Under our bylaws, that means there will be no election.
This is the process the GHAC has used for years. When four or fewer petitions are filed, no election is held. The Government and Legislation Committee certifies the petitions, and yes, there is a next step: the names are sent to the mayor for final determination, with appointment by the Mayor and concurrence of City Council under Article I.
The bylaws require certification and written notice to candidates within seven days of the petition deadline. In this case, that deadline was missed. That delay alone breeds distrust.
There is also a perception problem. When residents believe the committee chair has a personal grievance against a petitioner, certification looks political rather than ministerial. The remedy is simple: recuse when impartiality can reasonably be questioned, and note it in the minutes.
Two other lines should not be crossed. Trying to change the rules at the last minute to get a preferred outcome undermines trust. Rule changes belong in the Article VIII amendment process, applied to the next cycle, not this one. And having the full commission vote the petitioners up or down at a meeting would itself be an election, which the bylaws say does not happen when four or fewer file.
The fix: meet the seven-day rule, require recusal for conflicts, and amend the Election Rules to state plainly that certified candidates in a non-election year are forwarded to the mayor, with remaining seats filled as vacancies.
These four neighbors followed the same process Hilltop candidates have followed for years. Certify on time, keep it impartial, and send their names to the mayor as the bylaws intend.
