STURGIS – At its meeting Monday, March 4, the Sturgis City Council could fill the position vacated when Mayor Mark Carstensen resigned in mid-February.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Sturgis City Hall, 1040 Harley-Davidson Way. 

The council will hear from fellow council members and residents who submitted applications to be considered for the mayoral appointment. They include: council members Tony Dargatz, Aaron Jordan and Angela Wilkerson, as well as residents Rod Bradley, Jesse Hauk, Steve Shuck and Jim Thompson.

Each candidate will have 3 minutes to make a statement about why they would like to be appointed mayor. Council members then will have the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates. 

Sturgis City Council president Beka Zerbst will preside over the meeting and mayoral appointment process. 

Once the interviews are finished, there will be a paper vote of the council members for the mayoral vacancy. 

State law says the “vacancy shall be filled by appointment by a majority vote of the aldermen.” Because the City Council consists of eight members, five votes are needed for someone to win.

It could take one vote, or it could take several votes of the full council to determine the appointee, because the ballot for each round of voting will contain the names of all candidates.

And because the city knows that at least one council member will be out of town for Monday’s vote, the city attorney has determined that it's acceptable to let those who are not present in person vote by text message or e-mail sent to the finance officer. 

The candidate who receives the majority vote of the council members will be declared mayor and will be sworn in on Monday night.

That person will serve the remainder of former Mayor Mark Carstensen’s term – about 14 months until May of 2025. Here is the link to the agenda: City Council - Mar 04 2024 - Agenda - Pdf (civicweb.net)