By Randy Arrington
STANLEY — Town Manager Terry Pettit informed town council members last week that he needed a name at their next meeting.
The Stanley Council faces an April 14 deadline to fill the seat of former councilman Mike Uram, who resigned abruptly the last week of February. The council will hold its next monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 8.
Council members will need to nominate someone for the seat and then take a vote at the April 8 meeting. Once an appointee is chosen, the town will then petition the Page County Circuit Court for final approval and the authority to hold a special election for the seat during November’s general election.
The council’s appointment will last through Dec. 31, 2020. However, the appointee will have to be elected in November to keep the council seat for the remainder of the unexpired, four-year term, which runs through Dec. 31, 2022.
Two other council seats and the office of mayor will also be on the November ballot in Stanley.
No council member offered any names for the vacant seat when the subject was first discussed at the March 11 meeting. But as the deadline swiftly approaches, the issue will be forced at the Stanley Council’s April meeting.
Councilman Mike Uram handed in his resignation, effective Feb. 29, without much warning. But he told PVN a few days after leaving the area: “This was growing… the people who knew me were wondering when this might happen…I don’t think I have any chance to make a change in Stanley.”
Reports indicate that Uram has moved out of his Stanley apartment, but when asked if, when or why he might be leaving the area, Uram simply told PVN that he was “down South”… “800 miles away,” followed by: “I’ve punched out…I’m 73 years old, and hey… I have my bucket list.”
Uram was not quite midway through serving his second, four-year term on the Stanley Council. He was first elected in 2014, after several previously unsuccessful attempts. He was then re-elected in 2018.
“I envisioned that my past knowledge would bring a new dimension to our Town of Stanley, our community and Page County,” Uram’s resignation letter states. “My focus was what governments do; use the past as a benchmark to help in making better quality of life, economic stability, an open government with transparency, etc., instead of a close door atmosphere.
“Yes, I’m an outsider, but I care for our citizens. My career path I have taken, oaths of office very seriously from the military, as a police officer, and as an elected official,” the letter continues. “I believe in being a proactive individual, that thinks outside the box. I’m not a ‘Good Old Boy’ playing follow the leader nor bowing my head to a bully.”
“By stepping down I’m only the start of others to step up to move forward to bring enrichment, better government to our community.”
Those interested in applying for the vacant seat should contact the Town of Stanley. Council members receive $100 per month in compensation and no benefits.
The deadline for an appointment is April 14.
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