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Politics

Applicants file to fill post of exiting council member

Jeff Coulter's resignation leaves a vacant seat with a year's term remaining.

By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA
Published April 8, 2007

BELLEAIR BEACH - Barely a month after an election, a sudden resignation is forcing the council to ask for a volunteer to join them for the next year.

Council member Jeff Coulson resigned last week, citing the demands of his job as a private corporate jet pilot that prevented him from fulfilling his duties to the city.

The city is now accepting applications from residents to fill Coulson's unexpired term which ends next March. The deadline for submitting an application is 4:30 p.m., April 23.

According to the city charter, only those who have lived in and been registered voters in Belleair Beach for at least six months prior to applying for appointment are qualified to serve on the council.

If chosen to serve, they must remain a permanent resident during their term of office. Also, anyone who lost his or her civil rights through conviction of a crime involving a felony or moral turpitude is barred from holding office.

The City Council expects to appoint a successor for Coulson at its May 7 meeting. Whoever is chosen will face several major issues - deciding whether the Sheriff's Office or another outside agency will provide law enforcement services to the city and the redesign of a proposed new city hall.

Anyone interested in serving on the council for the next year can download an application on the city's Web site www.cityofbelleairbeach.com or can pick one up at City Hall, 444 Causeway Blvd. For further information, residents can contact City Clerk Nancy McCollum at 595-4646, ext. 124 or e-mail nmccollum@cityofbelleair beach.com.

In other action, the council appointed McCollum on Monday to serve as the city's acting city manager while the council searches for a replacement for outgoing City Manager Reid Silverboard. McCollum will assume her new duties May 8, when Silverboard is slated to begin his new job as city manager in Treasure Island.

[Last modified April 8, 2007, 07:31:37]