Three Rivers’ Third District commission seat could be vacant after this November’s election

Current Third District Commissioner Chris Abel, who was first appointed to fill a vacancy in April 2019 and later elected in November 2019, is not seeking reelection this fall. No candidates filed to run for Abel’s seat before the deadline, City Clerk Leslie Wilson confirmed. That means if no one files as a write-in candidate, the seat will become vacant after the election, triggering the city’s process for filling it.

Mayor Tom Lowry explained the next steps to Watershed Voice.

“We would declare the vacancy at our meeting after the November election, and then we would set a procedure,” Lowry said. “We would allow 30 days for any citizen to apply for that vacancy, and once that 30 days had expired, at the meeting right after that, whenever that would be, we would make our decision.”

The commission will prioritize applications from residents of the Third District, though all Three Rivers residents are eligible. Lowry said that preference stems from a legal opinion issued years ago by the city attorney.

“You don’t have to live in the Third District. But the city attorney told us years ago that we should give preference to applicants from that district. If there are none, or if there are none that we want, then we are allowed by law to pick somebody from another district. So we will follow that same procedure.”

Three Rivers has rarely had to fill a commission vacancy this way. Lowry, who served as mayor from 1995 to 2007 and has held the office continuously since 2011, said he can recall only one or two such instances.

“Yeah, it might have only happened once. I know it happened at least once, because that’s how the opinion got generated,” he said. “This is a rare occurrence where nobody actually applied. It’s been a long time, it’s been years since that happened.”

Lowry also touched on the importance of local government as an extension of democracy.

“A healthy democracy, which we are in danger of losing, requires active citizenship. By that, I mean as many people as possible need to give back to their community — whether it’s making cupcakes for your child’s classroom, helping out at your church when there’s a need, or thinking about elected office. You’re a target sometimes, and most people shy away from that. There are hard decisions to make. A lot of decisions are perfunctory, everybody agrees instantly. But some are harder, and we’re not always going to agree. You’ve got to be able to say your piece, and then maybe compromise. Sometimes you win or lose a vote. Bottom line is, you’re willing to give it your all. That’s what I mean by giving back — a healthy democracy requires that people give back in the way they can. And you don’t have to do it forever.”

As for what he hopes to see in the next Third District commissioner, Lowry said, “Someone who’s energized to do the job, who reads the material for every meeting, who will speak and get involved. They don’t have to speak at every meeting, but they should be willing to engage. I want someone who takes every issue seriously, no matter what it is, and who sometimes does a little bit more.”

Other routes to fill Abel’s vacancy

Although the deadline to file for a spot on the ballot passed on April 25, Wilson said individuals can still run as write-in candidates.

To do so, a prospective candidate must complete an affidavit, have it notarized, and return it to the City of Three Rivers by the deadline. If the paperwork is filed, the write-in candidate needs only to secure more votes than any opponent to win. In an uncontested race, a candidate would need just one vote.

If a successful write-in emerges, the seat would not become vacant after the election.

There are currently two commissioners who first won their seats as write-in candidates: Second District Commissioner Steven Haigh in 2022 and At-Large Commissioner Torrey Brown in 2021, Wilson said.

The deadline for a declaration of intent is 4 p.m. on the second Friday before the general election — October 24.

Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice