The Santa Barbara City Council on Tuesday will interview applicants to fill the District 6 vacancy left by Councilman Gregg Hart.
A total of 12 people applied for the position. Of the 12, three did not qualify because they are not listed as registered voters within District 6, which includes Oak Park, Laguna and downtown areas, according to Sarah Gorman, city clerk services manager.
The applicants are: Bonnie Raisin; Brittany Odermann Heaton; Matthew Nehmer; Julia Lara; Gabriel Escobedo; Grant House; Meghan Harmon; Gina Fischer; and Kate Carter.
The applicants that did not qualify are Scott Wenz, Mark Whitehurst and Connie Speight.
The interviews are expected to be held during the council’s evening session at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Each applicant will have up to five minutes to make a presentation. They will then have an opportunity to respond to questions, if any, from Mayor Cathy Murillo and other members of the City Council.
In December the council approved a process to hold a special election in the fall to fill the vacancy. Mr. Hart was elected 2nd District county supervisor on June 5. His resignation went into effect Jan. 7.
After calling for the special election, the council approved a process to consider an interim appointment to District 6 until the candidate elected at the special election has taken office, Ms. Gorman said.
The City Charter requires that a special election be held on Nov. 5 to fill the remainder of Mr. Hart’s term, which extends to January 2022. The election would be consolidated with the city’s general election in November 2022 to fill council seats for Districts 1, 2 and 3.
An appointment and swearing in is expected on or after Feb. 12, city officials said.
