MIAMI.- Following the governor’s suspension of Angélica Pacheco, the Hialeah City Council is preparing to fill the seat by appointing an interim council member who will occupy the position until the next special election in November 2025, and will soon announce the vacancy publicly.
At the last ordinary meeting of the municipal legislative body, councilor Bryan Calvo expressed his doubts about the procedure for occupying the seat of the former councilor.
Rafael Suarez, a city attorney, explained that the governor has the power to suspend an elected official who is charged from office until he is acquitted. In the meantime, his position must be filled by appointment.
Calvo’s question was whether there was enough time to hold a special election and prevent the Council from appointing anyone.
Suarez explained that the letter of the Charter is clear and says that the Council, with the affirmative vote of at least four of its members, “must” fill the vacancy within 30 days of the suspension.
“The Council cannot be prevented from trying to appoint someone because the statutes give that prerogative to the legislative body,” Suárez insisted.
The person who occupies the seat will be called interim councillor and will perform all the functions of the office until the next scheduled municipal election, that is, until November 2025.
At this point, Councilman Calvo asked if there was not enough time to call a special election this November 2024. Suarez and Marbelys Fatio, the City Secretary, agreed that there was not enough time to organize the procedures for a special election.
As part of the process of filling the vacancy, The municipal secretary will publish a vacancy notice on the Council on Sunday, June 30 in The Miami Herald, where she will urge interested persons to apply to fill the position available on an interim basis until November 2025.
Those interested in the position have until July 13, 2024 to submit applications via email a curriculum vitae, letter of interest or presentation, an affidavit of residence that certifies that you meet the requirement of being a resident of the municipality for one year, a copy of your driver’s license and your voter registration.
Prior to the special meeting, council members are given the authority to interview and contact individuals who are interested in filling the seat and who arouse their interest.
On June 16, Mayor Bovo called for an extraordinary meeting in which the municipal legislative body will try to appoint, with the vote of at least four of its members, to an interim councilor who will fill the vacancy left by Pacheco.
“If the decision cannot be made that day, there is still enough time until July 25 to try again,” Fatio said.
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