Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council

Paul Hendricks for Signal Mtn. Town Council Ok, it's been 2 weeks since the election and I'm just now getting caught up. As you know, I did win and was elected Mayor by the council. If you are following the results of the election, you know that we are working on selecting a 5th council member. The process is on www.signalmtntown.org. We have been questioned about why we selected this process. I proposed this process and it was accepted unanimously by the council. While some have thought we should have just selected the next person on the ballot, this was not obvious. She had obvious support, but didn't receive over 50%, so the argument could be made that more voted against her than for her. Of course, that was true of all of us. I felt that the charter called for us, the council to make that decision. Of course, we could have gone to a special election, but the charter states that that process comes into play only if we can't make a decision. I felt this would be an expensive proposition for the town (estimates I've heard from $15,000 to $20,000) and I felt the town wasn't anxious to go through that process again. I felt that the people who had run for the council should clearly be allowed to be considered, but also allowed the chance to re-assess their interest in light of the results of the election and any change in personal situations. As it turns out, Ms. Durant decided to remove herself from consideration for personal reasons, a decision I certainly respect. We have talked at length and had an excellent conversation. I am sure she will continue to be an active part of the community in whatever way she can. We will receive letters of interest until tomorrow, Wed. Nov. 27 and will hopefully make a decision at a meeting on Dec. 4 so that person can actively participate at the regular Dec. 11 meeting. Clearly this reflects my own reasons for the process I proposed, but I appreciate that it was accepted by the Council. Hopefully, after this selection is made, we can move forward for the betterment of our town.