Council Votes 4-2 to Appoint Dane Slater Mayor Until November 2013

Troy City Council voted 4-2 Monday evening to appoint Dane Slater Mayor of Troy until November 2013.

Slater has served as acting Mayor of Troy since Nov. 12, following the Nov. 6 recall of Janice Daniels, who held the position for a year.

Council members Maureen McGinnis, Jim Campbell and Dave Henderson voted "yes" along with Mayor Slater; Councilmen Wade Fleming and Doug Tietz voted "no." Council also voted 4-2 Monday to accept Slater's resignation from Troy City Council, which was required in order for him to serve as mayor. Fleming and Tietz again voted "no" on the resolution.

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Slater's appointment came after council voted Wednesday not to seek the advice of the State Attorney General regarding the mayoral replacement procedure during a special meeting. The special meeting was called in response to a letter sent Nov. 16 to Troy City Attorney Lori Grigg Bluhm from state Director of Elections Christopher Thomas, who wrote: "It is the position of the Bureau of Elections that the City is required to conduct a special election to fill the vacancy on Feb. 26, 2013."

Before Monday night’s vote, Tietz said he would “have no problem supporting Councilman Slater if the facts were the same" as on Nov. 12, when council chose Slater to serve as mayor for the next year during a study session. Tietz added he was not ready to vote on the appointment until he got “some resolution from the state."

Henderson – who often sides with Fleming and Tietz when council is split on an issue, as it was with the vote to contact the State Attorney General – chose to support Slater Monday evening, saying the time to contact the state had passed.

"I want to get this over with,” Henderson said. “I don't think the people of Troy want this belabored any more."

Before the vote, Slater voiced his support for City Attorney Lori Grigg Bluhm, who has faced criticism from some since receiving the letter from Thomas.

"I'm willing to resign tonight because I have the faith in the city attorney that she can defend this,” Slater said, adding that Troy is a home rule municipality whose City Charter allows council to appoint a replacement mayor and council member in the event of a recall.

“Why is the state trying to tell the city what to do? That concerns me.” Slater said after the meeting. “I think every resident of Troy should want us to make the decisions.”

The City of Troy is accepting applications until noon Wednesday for Slater's now-vacant position on Troy City Council. For more on Monday's meeting, check out Troy Patch's live chat replay.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 11:15 p.m. Monday with additional information and quotes.