The City of Francis is searching for its next leader.
Mayor Jan Brussel recently announced that he is resigning from the position after he sold his home with plans to move to Montana in the coming weeks. The Francis City Council is tasked with filling the vacancy, which could happen by next week.
There are a handful of people who have already expressed interest in the position, according to Francis City Councilor Clayton Querry. People who have lived within the Francis City limits for 12 consecutive months, are registered to vote and have not been convicted of a felony are eligible to apply.
Those who are interested in applying for the vacancy must submit their names and letters of interest to the Francis City Recorder by Jan. 10. At the next City Council meeting, on Jan. 12, the panel will interview each individual. An appointment could be made the same day or soon after reviewing the qualified applications.
Querry said he wants to see Francis’s next mayor be someone similar to Brussel. Brussel, a former Francis City planning commissioner, ran unopposed in 2021 after then-Mayor Byron Ames decided not to seek another term.
“For me, Jan was a pretty good example of what I was looking for. A lot of people want zero growth, I was one of them – I still am, but that’s not realistic. It’s just looking for people that are going to be responsible and think through what the ramifications would be if we approved this or denied a different thing,” he said.
Querry continued, “Growth is inevitable, it’s going to happen. I’m personally looking for someone that’s got the mindset of, ‘OK, it’s going to happen, but we’re going to be responsible. We’re going to think it out. And we’re going to do things the right way as far as we can.’ No decision is going to make everyone happy, but I just want someone that’s going to think it through. We can’t be all yes or all no, it has to be on a case-by-case basis.”
Although there will be a new leader helping guide Francis throughout the coming year, the city councilor doesn’t anticipate there will be much delay in jumping into city business. Querry said it will depend on who is chosen for the position, but there will likely be some continuity if the individual has worked for Francis or stayed up-to-date with city issues.
Growth and development will be the biggest topics Francis will tackle this year, Querry said, with other subjects such as affordable housing and water use expected to come up.
The Francis City Council will appoint someone to serve as mayor through 2023, but the position will appear on the ballot this fall. City residents in November will vote for their choice among those that filed during the upcoming candidacy period in June, according to Summit County Clerk Eve Furse. The winner will be elected for two years, which is the remainder of Brussel’s term.
Regardless of who is chosen as mayor, Querry encouraged all Francis residents to stay informed about what’s happening in the community.
“We want people to show up to meetings. We want people to voice their concerns and opinions. It’s not that we want to be up there just dictating everything that goes on. We want people involved. That’s why a lot of us are there,” he said. “We’re people that live in the community, none of us are career politicians, we all have jobs outside of this, but we just are trying to get involved and guide Francis in a direction that is going to work for everybody.”