A new prefix should be introduced into the vocabulary of Elk Grove politics

What do Alfred Rowlett (upper left, clockwise), Jake Rambo, Bobbie Singh-Allen, Bob Trigg, Nancy
Chaires-Espinoza, Darren Suen, and Stephanie Nguyen have in common?


On Tuesday, January 5, which seems like a lifetime ago after watching Donald Trump's attempted coup d'etat, the other big story of the week was the two U.S. Senate races in Georgia.

While watching CNN not long after the polls closed in Georgia, political correspondent John King discussed early tallies being reported. During his report, King was discussing the Loeffler-Warnock race when he paused.

King was saying "Senator Kelly Loeffler" when he paused and made a correction. He restated by adding the more accurate prefix "interim"  and said, "interim Senator Kelly Loeffler."

While it may seem minor, it is a crucial qualifier to add to the title. Loeffler was not elected - she was an appointed U.S. Senator. 

Over the last 11 years or so, the practice of filling vacancies on Elk Grove-area elected government bodies has been frequent. In this period, there have been four appointments to the Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Trustees and three on the Elk Grove City Councill.

Given the Elk Grove Unified School District will be making an appointment to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Bobbie Singh-Allen, the district will have completed its fifth appointment over the last decade. While governmental bodies argue for vacancy appointments as cost-savings measures, we urge people to remember these are unelected interim positions.

Put another way, the person holding that position is there on an interim basis until an election can be conducted so that voters can select who represents their interests. 

This is why it matters.  

As an example, readers will recall when Darren Suen ran for Elk Grove City Council in 2016 following his 2014 appointment, he campaigned for reelection. Given officeholders have an inherent electoral advantage, this was misleading and deceptive as he was never elected.  

So as the Elk Grove Unified District makes another appointment, or when any local governmental entity appoints someone to fill a vacancy, the person selected should have the qualifier interim added as a prefix to their title. 
    


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Copyright by Elk Grove News © 2020. All right reserved.



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3 comments

Spoons and Forks said...

How much you wanna bet Jake Rambo will try to fill that 8th spot in the picture. He might get it, but if he runs again, you can be sure the Hmong community will try to hand him his head on a platter....again.

Eye on Elk Grove said...

What bothers me the most, like Darren Suen, when legitimately running for Elk Grove City Council to be duly elected by the people, Suen put on his mailers, "Re-elect Darren Suen for Elk Grove City Council." Asked to correct, Suen said he was "elected." Yeah, elected by four people in an organized set up (see the Brown Act).

Dominick said...

great

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