Former council member applies for open seat

One Brooksville resident is already ahead of the curve in applying for an open city council seat as the Monday deadline approaches.

Frankie Burnett, a former Brooksville council member, is the only applicant for the open city seat left vacant by David Pugh, who resigned earlier this month.

His letter of interest was sent Jan. 11, before council members announced they were looking for applicants.

Burnett, who lost his seat by just 34 votes, or 1 percent, to council member Joe Johnston III, during the 2008 city election, said he's been interested in public service since he was a child and would like to continue serving the city as he intended to during the last election.

"I'm a public servant and I love to serve in any capacity I can," Burnett said. "I've always felt that, that's just a part of me."

Burnett wouldn't say for certain whether he would run for city council during the November General Election and would only stipulate it would depend on, "certain situations." He did not explain further.

Burnett has continued to work with the city through South Brooksville Redevelopment Inc., a group he started, to improve a blighted area of the city and neighboring portions.

City Manager Jennene Norman-Vacha said once the 5 p.m. Monday application deadline has passed, city staff would review them to ensure they meet qualifications by having lived in the city for at least a year and are registered voters.

She said city council members would then meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1, to decide which of the applicants would fill the seat.

However, the selection will follow a second reading on the issue of how long the chosen candidate will fill the vacancy.

Norman-Vacha said on second reading is a change to the city's ordinance concerning the filling of council vacancies, which calls for a special election within 90 days of the council members' absence. In the case of Pugh's resignation earlier this month, a special election would need to be held before Saturday, April 10 at an estimated cost of $25,000-$30,000.

During a city meeting Tuesday, council members narrowly approved an amendment allowing for a candidate to fill the seat until the next scheduled election - which would be in November.

That means the applicant accepted for the seat would hold it until that individual or another candidate was elected during the General Election.

Norman-Vacha said council members would decide on the matter before selecting one of the applicants to fill the vacant seat.

"It wouldn't be fair to do it the other way around and have the applicant take part in deciding how long he or she would hold the seat," Norman-Vacha said.