Wales Town appointing new mayor and council after election mishap

WALES—Wales Town found itself without elected leadership when every candidate for contested seats failed to file the required financial disclosure documents before the November election.
Candidates for mayor and two town council seats were disqualified, leaving outgoing officials scrambling to find a legal path forward.
“We worked with the town attorney and the state elections officers for directions on how to replace the outgoing officers without the election process,” Town Clerk Kevin E. Washburn explained. The solution: Use the appointment process to fill seats that would otherwise sit vacant.
The town held one regular and two special meetings in December to address the leadership vacuum.
On Dec. 16, the council interviewed candidates to fill the two council member seats. Brandon Rees and Brian Smith answered questions from council members and residents before being nominated, approved unanimously, and sworn in by Town Clerk Washburn.
Two days later, on Dec. 18, the council reconvened to fill the mayor’s seat. Byron Davis and James Roberts, a town council member who had run for mayor, both fielded questions. Councilman Brian Smith nominated Roberts for mayor.
The vote passed unanimously among eligible voters. Roberts then resigned his council seat and was sworn in as Wales Town’s new mayor, creating yet another vacancy the town will need to fill.
At the next meeting scheduled for Jan. 13 (after press time) the council planned to appoint someone to fill the seat Roberts vacated when he became mayor.