Council OKs Special Election to Replace Gose

Voters will decide in June who will fill Ken Gose’s seat on the City Council.

The council voted unanimously Thursday to contract with the Ventura County Elections Department to hold a special election June 3.

Gose, 75, died Saturday from complications of a brain tumor. He was in the middle of his second four-year council term.

For the city to hold an election, it had to decide to do so by today to meet the county’s special election requirements. The council had already missed the county’s deadline to participate in the March election.

The council had three options for filling Gose’s seat. It could either fill the vacancy by appointment, call for a special election or adopt an urgency ordinance appointing an interim council member until an election could be held.

Although the cost of the election was discussed, upholding democracy ultimately won out.

Camarillo must pay complete election setup costs, which include setting up and manning the precincts, printing and mailing ballots, developing an election calendar and tabulating the vote, because no other municipalities are scheduled for an election June 3--the next available county election date. The cost of this election will be $1.25 per voter--about $42,500.

Council members Charlotte Craven and Kevin Kildee and Mayor Stanley Daily said Gose had a deep commitment to democracy, so it’s appropriate that the people should decide who should fill his seat. However, Councilman Bill Liebman said the third option of appointing an interim member should be explored.

“The best way to go [the special election] is not necessarily the cheapest, but who said democracy was cheap,” Liebman said, adding that the council has been operating short-handed since Gose’s excused absence began in October.

Liebman suggested that the council appoint David Smith, who previously served on the council for eight years, including two as mayor. He added that Smith was only interested in assisting the city and not in running in the election.

Craven disagreed, saying that she hasn’t seen any problem in operating with four members and that she didn’t feel she had a heavier workload with four members than she did with five.

“We’ve been operating very well and I have not heard one whimper, only gusto,” Daily said. “I think we can hold together another four months.”

All members, except Liebman, agreed that the issue had nothing to do with the quality of Smith’s work, but they felt uncomfortable because the appointed member might have an edge if they decided to run for the seat.

“David Smith served eight years and because of the kind of guy he is, I’d expect this kind of offer from him. But I think he’s earned a vacation,” the mayor said.

“The electorate has historically made fine choices, much better than I could on a special appointment,” he said, adding that the council should leave it to voters to decide who should succeed Gose.