13 people have applied to fill Heidi Harmon’s SLO mayor seat or join the council
Thirteen people have submitted applications either to become the new mayor of San Luis Obispo or a City Council member.
The appointment process, to be conducted at an Oct. 5 council meeting, will serve to fill Mayor Heidi Harmon’s open seat and potentially a vacant council position if a sitting council member is selected as the new mayor.
Harmon, who served as mayor for five years, announced in August that she would resign midway through a two-year term to take on a new position as senior public affairs director with the Romero’s Institute’s Let’s Green California initiative.
Harmon’s last day was Sept. 21.
Three candidates have applied for mayor:
- Erica Stewart, SLO’s current vice mayor, Cal Poly Campus Health & Wellbeing, Assistant Director of
Personnel & Marketing
- Jeffrey Specht, entrepreneur
- Matt Ritter, Cal Poly biology professor, chair SLO Tree Committee
Two candidates have applied for both mayor and council:
- Joshua Cohen, bicycle shop owner
- Mark Buchman, education consultant, San Luis Coastal school district trustee
And eight residents have applied for council only should Stewart be appointed as mayor by her colleagues:
- Emily Francis, high school social studies teacher
- Joe Benson, attorney
- Michael Draze, Red Cross volunteer, former Pismo Beach community development director
- Michelle Shoresman, SLO County division manager of health care access
- Mike Multari, former Cal Poly facilities assistant director, former SLO community development director
- Mila Vujovich-La Barre, San Luis Coastal Spanish and U.S. History teacher
- Robin Wolf, restaurant owner
- Sharon Whitney, retired political science professor.
How the process will work
A city staff report notes that on Oct. 5, each applicant will be “allotted five minutes to present to the council and will need to verify their willingness to serve.”
“After all presentations have concluded, public testimony will be heard,” the staff report notes.
During the appointment process, each council member will nominate a list of up to three applicants.
“If three or more council members name the same applicant and only one applicant receives three nominations, then the vice mayor will call for a motion to appoint that person and adopt the Resolution of Appointment for Mayor (Attachment A),” the staff report states.
Stewart may vote on herself for the mayor seat under the city’s charter, and then, if appointed, cast a vote on her replacement on the council under the same voting process.
The period to apply for a position on the council ended Sept. 24.
The term for the new mayor and potential council member would both end in December 2022.
To review candidate applications for appointment, visit bit.ly/3kNbOGA.
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 11:00 AM.
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