Tick Tock is Trudy’s Seat on the Block

Wilkins in blue.

A few more hours will pass and Trudy Wade will not only know if she’s entering state politics, but Greensboro will also find out if there will be a vacant council seat. If that hypothetical does come true, Tony Wilkins, a long time blogger and influencer within the local Republican party is heavily rumored to be the “go to” person for the seat.

If this does play out and Trudy moves on, what’s the process of appointing her successor? I previously asked this question to city staff and no answer was readily available. Here’s a recap of that post.

““Hypothetically speaking, if Trudy Wins the State Senate seat, what is the process for finding her replacement mid-term? Also, once that replacement is found and council votes, what happens if the vote is 4 yes’s and 4 no’s? Who is the deciding vote?”

And the response,

“Ryan, here’s what I’ve been able to get you. At the current time the only portion Legal can answer is that the Council must name her replacement.  There are several other issues such as the “tie” issue; can she vote for her replacement if she is not yet sworn in as Senator; etc.  They’ll get to those in the immediate future.”

The follow up response I received is below,

“Not yet. I’m not sure Terry will answer that question unless the hypothetical becomes real. At any rate, he’s got some time yet for a decision.”

It appears the “immediate future” is not so immediate. Given that response, it doesn’t appear that the City has any interest in being prepared ahead of time, or getting the council prepared ahead of time.”

The immediate future is now here, but the question is… does Greensboro have an answer? Will Wilkins, and other possible successors, face heavy push-back from other council members upset over the fact that this individual won’t have to face a campaign… at least for this appointment?

Update. Or not. Trudy is staying on the council – for now.