Former Fullerton City Councilwoman Jan Flory is returning to the dais to fill a council vacancy despite some residents’ pleas for a special election. City leaders appointed Flory in a 3-1 vote last Tuesday. She was one of 23 applicants for the job.
Fullerton has had a tumultuous year and that’s something that Flory addressed during the meeting at City Hall.
“Our city has been in a bit of disarray, one with the transition from at-large elections to district elections. Second our police chief was a lot more temporary than we thought he was going to be and it is my objective to calm things down and to get back to more of a routine with our City Council,” Flory said.
She was referring to the fall resignation of Police Chief David Hendricks two months after he and a police captain were arrested for allegedly assaulting paramedics at a Lady Antebellum concert. City News covered the story here and here.
Despite the disarray, many wanted to see a special election to fill the vacancy left by Mayor Jesus Silva’s defeat of Greg Sebourn in District 3. The cost of holding a special election was estimated at $428,000 and the city deadlocked on that issue in December.
Flory will now serve out the remaining two years of the council term. She has said she will not run for election after that.