Organizers are pushing for a special election for a Clive City Council seat that council members had filled by appointment.
The council in May unanimously voted to appoint Breanne Hocker to fill the seat Srikant Mikkilineni vacated to take a job out of state. A group who wants a special election instead have turned in enough signatures to advance the petition process.
Mikkilineni, who left in April, was first elected in March 2022 in a special election.
Lila Starr, who is helping organize the petition, said the effort helps citizens feel more engaged in local government. Starr, who also is a West Des Moines school board member, said she and other organizers don’t have a particular candidate in mind to fill the seat.
“This isn’t going to be about the who, but the how,” she said.
Clive Assistant City Manager Pete De Kock said the city received the special election petition and confirmed with the Polk County Election Office that it met the required number of signatures. But the petition is still within the five-day objection period during which someone can challenge signatures.
Starr said the winner of a special election would serve the remainder of Mikkilineni’s term through 2027.
Without a special election, Hocker would hold the seat through the end of the year. The seat would be up for election in November for the winner to serve the remainder of Mikkilineni’s term.
De Kock said the city is working with the appropriate election offices to make arrangements. No date has been set.
Phillip Sitter covers the suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. Find out more about him online in the Register’s staff directory.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Organizers call for special election for Clive City Council seat filled by appointment
Reporting by Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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