Former South Lake Tahoe Mayor appointed to fill vacant city council position
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – During the Tuesday, September 24 South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting, former Mayor Devin Middlebrook was appointed to fill the seat left vacant by Mayor Pro Tem John Friedrich.
Friedrich’s seat would’ve been up for reelection this year, meaning the filled position would only last until December 10, 2024.
Several members of the public applied to fill the position, including Keith Roberts and Aimi Xistra who are both actively running for city council.
Middlebrook said prior to the appointment that he applied because he had been in the position before and wouldn’t need a learning curve, especially since the position only lasts for a short period of time.
During public comment, several members of the public spoke stating they didn’t feel it was appropriate for the council to appoint an active candidate, which could give them an unfair advantage in the election.
Councilmember Tamara Wallace said while she thought Roberts would make a good candidate, she agreed that she didn’t want to “pick winners and losers,” and gave her support to Middlebrook.
Councilmember Scott Robbins said because the election was only five weeks away, he felt the council didn’t need to fill the seat.
Mayor Cody Bass said while he sees Robbins’ point, legally, they are required to fill the position within a certain time limit. Also, if anything were to happen to two council members while the seat was vacant, the council would not be able to make quorum.
The council approved Middlebrook to fill the seat. The council approved Wallace to take the Mayor Pro Tem position until Dec. 10.
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