The City of Oakland Park is seeking applications to fill a vacancy on the City Commission. The current Commission has 4 members: Mayor Aisha Gordon, Vice Mayor Mitch Rosenwald, Commissioner Steve Arnst and Commissioner Tim Lonergan. The new, fifth member, will be determined by appointment on March 1, 2023. That person will serve until a special election can be held.
Position Vacant Since Matt Sparks Resigned
Former Commissioner and Mayor Matthew Sparks resigned on January 9, 2023. His last day as Commissioner was January 18th. Since then the seat has remained vacant. It was also unclear, until recently, which of the two options available to the City for filling the seat would be used.
In a previous article, we shared that the seat can fill the empty seat by one of the two methods:
- By appointment; or
- By voting yes on a proposed resolution, at a Commission meeting, to hold a Special Election.
City Seeking Applicants
The City opened the application process to eligible applicants and posted the following notice on their website:
Notice of Vacancy of Office
The City of Oakland Park is seeking applications to fill a vacancy that exists on the City Commission.
All applications shall be submitted to the City Clerk’s office commencing 12:00 p.m. (noon) Monday, February 6, 2023, until 12:00 p.m. (noon) February 15, 2023.
Oakland Park City Hall
Attention: City Clerk’s Office
3650 NE 12 Avenue
Oakland Park, FL 33334
All applicants shall be duly qualified electors of the City and must reside within the City limits for the last six months immediately preceding the date of applications.
If you think you would like to try your hand at local government, download the application and submit it before the deadline.
Applications Received
As of Wednesday February 8th, 2023 the City had received one application. The applicant is James E. Crowley, Jr., a resident of Lloyd Estates in west Oakland Park.
Potential Applicants
Leticia Newbold, a candidate for the City Commission in November 2022, has shared with Living In Oakland Park, that she intends to submit her application for consideration. Newbold, came in third in the race, missing the Commission seat by a mere 38 votes.
Appointment By the City Commission
Once the applications are reviewed the City Commission will determine the potential fifth member. Once that determination has been made the current members will vote to fill the vacancy.
The 2024 Special Election
This new Commission member will serve until the Special Election in 2024. They can opt to run in the Special Election in order to permanently occupy the seat.
