Denver council to consider declaring at-large Seat B vacancy Aug. 5

Denver City Council is scheduled to consider declaring a vacancy in at-large Seat B on Aug. 5, after Councilwoman Sarah Parady announced plans to resign because of health challenges.

The council’s Aug. 5 agenda lists Resolution 26-1143, a direct-filed measure declaring a vacancy in the seat. The meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the City and County Building. The Denver Gazette reported that Parady cited health challenges in announcing her departure. The city Clerk and Recorder says she intends to formally resign Aug. 5, so the seat had not yet become vacant as of July 31.

How the seat would be filled

Denver Charter Section 3.1.8 requires the council to declare an at-large vacancy by resolution when a member leaves office for reasons including resignation, death, moving out of Denver or certain qualifying unexcused absences. The charter generally calls for a special election 120 to 130 days after the declaration, unless a citywide election falls within 160 days.

Because a general election is scheduled for Nov. 3, the Clerk and Recorder’s vacancy-election schedule says the special election would be held that day if the council declares the vacancy Aug. 5. The tentative schedule calls for nomination petitions by Aug. 20, candidate filing and Fair Elections Fund qualification by Sept. 4, certification and swearing-in on Nov. 24, and 300 valid petition signatures for ballot access. There would be no runoff; the candidate with the most votes would serve the remainder of Parady’s term.

The Aug. 5 agenda shows that council will consider the resolution but does not establish that it will pass. As of July 31, the meeting had not occurred, and the record reviewed for this draft contained no vote tally, debate, public testimony or council members’ positions on the measure.