St. Paul seeks interim council member to replace Thao

Wanted: a resident of St. Paul's First Ward who's familiar with city government and has time and energy to spare.

The St. Paul City Council is accepting applications from people interested in temporarily joining their ranks next month, after Council Member Dai Thao vacates his seat to take a new job in Florida.

The city charter gives the council power to appoint someone to serve the remainder of Thao's term, which runs through December 2023. According to a news release, the council will only consider applicants who agree not to run for the Ward 1 office next year.

Candidates must be eligible to vote in the ward, which includes the Frogtown and Summit-University neighborhoods. Those interested in applying must submit a resume and cover letter to Council-Vacancy@ci.stpaul.mn.us by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 22.

Council staff will review the applications for qualifications, and the council could decide to interview top contenders. Those finalists would be interviewed at City Hall on the morning of Aug. 3.

In an interview Monday, Council President Amy Brendmoen said she is hoping for candidates who share values with Thao, whom she described as a strong voice for the Hmong community, small businesses, development and housing equity.

"It's a real loss to have a seasoned council member like Council Member Thao leave, and I'll miss him," Brendmoen said. "Those are big shoes to fill."

The council wants to get the position filled quickly, as a number of important policy and fiscal decisions — including potential changes to St. Paul's rent control ordinance and the 2023 budget — draw nearer, she added.

The appointment of interim council members is not unusual in St. Paul. In early 2018, then-Council Member Russ Stark resigned to serve as Mayor Melvin Carter's chief resilience officer. Stark's aide, Samantha Henningson, was appointed to serve as an interim council member until a special election was held that summer.

In early 2019, Kassim Busuri was appointed to the Ward 6 seat after longtime Council Member Dan Bostrom retired before the end of his term. Busuri caused controversy by announcing plans to run for the seat in the election later that year, despite pledging that he would not. Council members called for Busuri to resign and, when he refused, removed him from work groups and deleted his name from agendas.

Brynn Hausz, director of council operations, said the purpose of the council's request is to avoid giving an individual "a strategic advantage in the next election."

Council members are paid $70,262.40 annually and are eligible for benefits. Applicants "must be able to devote the significant time and energy," according to the release.