Meet the applicants
* Virginia Allderdice served as co-chair of the Signal Mountain citizen advocacy group “Be Vocal. Choose Local,” which advocated for selling the town’s water system to Walden’s Ridge Utility District. She qualified for the 2016 Signal Mountain Town Council race, but withdrew her candidacy prior to the election.* Marleah Alpers, a stay-at-home mother of three, “would like to help represent those town members who differ in opinion from the loudest but are afraid to voice their opposition.”* Brandon Anthony is the owner of Signal Mountain-based Chattanooga Jewelry Company.* Anne Hagood has a background in software development and has served on town committees including the Hemlock Task Force, Tree Board and bicycle/pedestrian planning committee.* Annie Hall is a member of Chattanooga educational advocacy group UnifiEd’s Action Plan for Educational Excellence committee focused on promoting equity in Hamilton County Schools. She is a former member of the Hamilton County School Board.* Laurence “Scott” Rix is a technology services vendor and a member of the Chattanooga Technology Council.* Richard Saputa is a consultant to the nuclear electric utility industry.* James Webster, Continental Films CEO, is a former Mountain Arts Community Center board member.
Dick GeeThe Signal Mountain Town Council will vote on a replacement for Vice Mayor Dick Gee at their next agenda session, to be held at Town Hall Friday, Aug. 24 at 12:30 p.m.
Gee moved outside town limits on June 16, and the town's charter requires councilmembers to forfeit their office if they fail to maintain a bona fide residence in the town for 60 consecutive days. Gee agreed to serve during that 60-day period, which concludes Aug. 16.
According to the charter, the council may fill the position by nominating a qualified resident or holding an election for someone to serve the final two months of Gee's term until a successor is elected in November. Since there is not enough time to hold a special election, councilors decided to have interested citizens submit applications and select a replacement by majority vote of the council.
Councilors voted 3-1 at their Aug. 13 meeting to postpone the vote on Gee's replacement until Aug. 24, with Councilman Dan Landrum casting the nay vote and Gee abstaining.
Councilors said they wanted to postpone the vote to give them a chance to speak with each of the eight applicants. Town Attorney Phil Noblett noted that they may not ask the applicants how they would vote on specific issues.
With action items including the potential sale of the town's water system to possibly be voted upon within the next few months, Gee's replacement could have a longstanding impact despite their short tenure.
Landrum made a motion to select a replacement by a ranked vote, in which the councilors would rank each candidate on paper, with the highest ranked applicant receiving the nomination. He said that process would be less political and more likely to result in a candidate with whom all members of the council would be happy.
His motion died for lack of a second, and was followed by Councilwoman Amy Speek's motion to discuss the applicants and cast a roll-call vote at the next agenda session.
Beginning with the Aug. 24 agenda session, the council decided to add a citizens' comment period, which will come before the vote that day.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.