ROTHBURY — The Rothbury Village Council unanimously appointed president pro tem Mike Harris as interim president at a special meeting Wednesday after Vern Talmadge abruptly retired following last month's regular meeting.
Harris will hold the post until the next regularly scheduled village election, which will take place this November. If he chooses to run for the position and wins the election in November, he would finish Talmadge's term, which goes through 2028.
Harris has previously acted as president when Talmadge was absent and received the council’s appointment recommendation gratefully, saying, “I have the best interest of the village and everything about the village in my heart. And I’ll do the best job I can for you… at least until November.”
Harris' appointment presented potential issues with his other roles as village zoning administrator and planning commission chair. After discussion, the council determined Harris will continue in both roles for now, though it will begin the process of finding a replacement as zoning administrator.
Trustee Denise Kurdziel was also approved as village president pro tempore - which would have her serve as president if Harris should be absent for a meeting - which she accepted after Harris promised to try to avoid any situations that would render him unable to attend a meeting.
Harris' appointment as president vacated his village council seat, and council members proposed some potential options to fill the seat. Kurdziel proposed advertising the open position on the village’s Facebook page and website, alongside an application for interested parties to complete. Once filled, the appointment would also be until the November election, upon which whoever was elected would fill out the remaining two years of Harris’ trustee term.
Harris’s appointment was not the only one of the evening. Former Department of Public Works director Scott Beishuizen was unanimously appointed the village's operations director after village attorney Brennen Gorman aided in devising a job description. The position was previously offered as a village manager, but Gorman said at the regular April meeting that the position should have a different title.
The promotion comes with an increase in pay and an expansive scope, with council members noting the responsibilities were meant to ease the president's workload.
