Some `surprised' by pick for Norman council vacancy

NORMAN — Two members of t he Norman City Council said Monday they were not consulted about t h e u p c o mi n g n o mi n a - tion and appointment of a former colleague to fill the Ward 2 vacancy.

The council members, Kate Bierman and Stephen Holman, s a i d t hey were surprised to learn that Joe Carter had been selected by Mayor Breea Clark t o replace the late David Perry on an interim basis.

"I had not discussed Joe Carter s peci f i c a l l y wit h anyone and was surprised t o see t he see t he nomin a t i o n o n t h e a g e n d a , "H o l m a n t o l d T h e Oklahoman. "Bringing i n someone with experience t hat has been elected by Ward 2 r esi dents before had merit, but I was hoping the Council could discuss all options at our upcoming yearly planning retreat this weekend."

Reached Monday, Clark, w h o s e t s t h e c o u n c i l agenda, said the decision to go with Carter "was made in consultation with council members."

"I t appears ( Elizabeth) Foreman and I discussed Ward 2 at some point, but not Joe Carter specifically," Clark told The Oklahoman. "I do believe everyone else was reached out to. I am always willing to speak to c o u n c i l members a b o u t issues if they reach out to me as well."

The council will consider Carter's selection Tuesday night.

Bierman said she was surprised to l earn about the selection of Carter, who stepped down as the council's Ward 2 representative over the summer. He was not one of 10 candidates interviewed by a five-member committee of Ward 2 residents tasked with finding an interim replacement for Perry.

"I certainly would have l i ked t o have had a conversation with the mayor or whoever made the decis i on," Bierman t ol d The Okl a h o man. "T h e r e ' s a lot of surprise from fellow council members, to see this land on the agenda without prior discussion about how to proceed."

Perry, 60 died of a heart attack in August after serving less than two months on the council. He replaced Carter, who decided not to run for a second term.

Last month, the council voted 6-2 against a motion t o a p p o i n t S e a n B o y d , with dissenting members citing a five-member committee's lack of consensus, B o y d ' s l a c k o f c o mmuni t y engagement and an outpouring of complaints from Ward 2 residents who elected Perry.

Bierman and others on the council, including Lee Hall, said the selection process "failed to produce a candidate" the council could support. Bierman said the committee operated with n o f o r ma l i z e d p o l i c i e s or procedures or s et s of expectations.

C l a r k s a i d M o n d a y that Carter was the "first person that came to mind" a f t e r t h e c i t i z e n c o mmi t t e e p r o c e s s "d i d n ' t work." The mayor said the goal was to have Ward 2 represented at the upcoming retreat.