Move prompts Jones to give up council chair
It’s been a “musical chairs” kind of year in the Brandon City Council chambers, as Ward I Alderman Blaine Jones is the latest councilman to resign his position. Jones announced July 16 that he and his family will be relocating.
City Administrator Bryan Read said any interested Ward 1 residents who are registered to vote should complete an application to be considered for an appointment to the position. Applications are available at City Hall (304 S. Main Ave.) or online at cityofbrandon.org. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9. Following public interviews with all interested candidates, Mayor Larry Beesley and the council will consider an appointment during their regular meeting on Aug. 20.
The appointment will expire May 6, 2019, at which time the remaining one year of Jones’ term will be determined in the April 9, 2019 municipal election. Jones began his 10-year stint on the council in August 2008.
The last time this scenario occurred was when Don Wells left his alderman position because he, too, relocated to a new community. That created a vacancy in Ward 2, and Dana Clark was appointed to that position until next May as well.
Longtime Brandon resident Chuck Parsons was appointed Jan. 15 to fill Roger Brooks’ chair, which he vacated for health reasons in late 2017. Parsons, who won a three-way race in April, will serve through May 2020.
