LAUREL HILL — The City Council seeks applicants who want to fill a vacant seat.
The council — which includes members Daniel Lane, Larry Hendren, Scott Moneypenny and Debra Adams — needs a fifth member, as former Councilman Johnny James recently lost his seat after learning, 35 years later, that he lived outside city limits.
That surprised James, who said Thursday that he thought he could return to the council without having to compete with other candidates.
Confusion arose after Laurel Hill's April council meeting, when city leaders discussed allowing James to take a so-called leave of absence. That way, he could raise enough money to have his home annexed into the city and reclaim his seat. The council voted 3-1 on the measure; Lane, Hendren and Adams voted yay while Moneypenny dissented.
During Thursday's meeting, Moneypenny revisited the issue, questioning last month's action.
"We have no provisions in our city charter that allows a council member to be put on a leave of absence," Moneypenny said. "Our city employees can take a leave of absence, but there is no provision for our council members to take a leave of absence."
City attorney Dan Campbell agreed.
"Under our charter, a person who is not an elector is no longer qualified and forfeits the office," Campbell said. "His (James') status is … he's applied to be annexed into the city and if that goes through, he can apply to be re-appointed or somebody else could apply to be appointed (to the council)."
James — who has said he wanted to hold fish fries to raise money for annexation, return to the council and serve his constituents, as he promised — disagreed with Campbell's wording.
He didn't "forfeit" the seat, he said; rather, he was under the impression, based on the council's last vote, that he could return to the dais after becoming a Laurel Hill resident.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill City Council has a vacant seat