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The Dublin City Council is set to discuss how to proceed with filling the city’s soon-to-be vacant mayor’s seat following confirmation from Mayor Melissa Hernandez that she will be resigning in the coming days in the wake of her appointment to the BART Board of Directors.
Hernandez submitted a formal resignation letter to the council last week, announcing that she would be resigning effective Tuesday (June 4) at 6 p.m., just ahead of the upcoming City Council meeting at 7 p.m. that day.
“Serving the City of Dublin as a Councilmember and the last four years has been the greatest privilege of my life,” Hernandez stated.
The Dublin City Council is now facing a similar situation to what the BART Board of Directors faced earlier in the year in the wake of the resignation of longtime District 5 director John McPartland, leading to the application and interview process to fill the position and Hernandez’s appointment to the seat for the remainder of McPartland’s term through the end of the year.
In her fourth year as mayor, having been reelected in 2022 for a two-year term expiring at the end of this year, Hernandez is in her final year of eligibility under the city’s term limit law — when factoring in her prior service on the City Council.
At their upcoming meeting Tuesday, councilmembers are set to recognize Hernandez’s accomplishments during her tenure and discuss next steps to address the mayoral vacancy for the remainder of Hernandez’s term that will be in effect as of that evening.
Options for the council to consider consist of appointing a new mayor to fill the remainder of Hernandez’s term by Aug. 3, or to leave the position vacant until the results of the general election in November emerge.
According to the city code, the council must appoint a new mayor in the event of a vacancy within 60 days or wait until the next regularly scheduled election for voters to decide.
Councilmembers have the option of appointing “any eligible person” – meaning any registered voter in Dublin – including sitting councilmembers to the position.
“If a member of the City Council is appointed it would create a vacancy on the City Council that would require a second vacancy filling process,” City Manager Linda Smith wrote in a staff report for the upcoming meeting. “In other words, the person appointed would lose their seat.”
Vice Mayor Sherry Hu and Councilmember Michael McCorriston are both in terms expiring this year, with councilmembers Jean Josey and Kashef Qaadri in terms expiring in 2026. Hu and Josey are both in the midst of campaigns for a full term in the mayor’s seat in the upcoming November election.
The last time the City Council was faced with filling a vacancy was when then-vice mayor Don Biddle died in 2018, with councilmembers then electing to fill the vacancy through an application process.
“Although it is not required, the City Council has customarily made appointments after an application process,” Smith wrote. “If the City Council decides to appoint after an application process, Staff could open an application period and schedule a discussion about applicants or hold interviews on June 18, 2024, July 16, 2024, or schedule a special meeting at any time prior to August 3, 2024.”
The Dublin City Council is set to meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday (June 4). The agenda is available here.
