Wright named Ward 4 councilman at Jefferson City Council meeting
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Randall Wright will be the new Fourth Ward councilman in Jefferson City.
Wright fills the open seat following a vote from the council. He obtained six votes. The next-closest candidate was Carlos Graham with three votes.
The Fourth Ward seat became available after after Ron Fitzwater was elected as mayor in April.
Wright said while he knows filling Fitzwater's spot has its challenges, he is excited and prepared to work alongside him.
"I think those are big shoes to fill," Wright said. "You know Ron has definitely, you know, worked hard on the Jefferson City Council and I respect him very much. I'm looking forward to working with him over this next eleven months."
The Jefferson City Council chose from six applicants who applied for the vacant seat. According to the the city charter, “a vacancy in the council shall be filled by the council by a majority vote of all its remaining members for a period extending to the next municipal general election at which time a person shall be elected to serve the remainder of the term."
During the last city council meeting on May 1, each applicant had the chance to introduce themselves and speak on multiple topics.
The six applicants included Wright, Graham, Michael Michelson, Kathi Harness, Julie Allen and Buford "Chuck" Walker.
Immediately after being elected, Wright joined the other council members for the remainder of the meeting. He said he was able to do this because he prepared himself beforehand.
"I did my homework," Wright said. "The packet tonight was 400 pages long. I read through all 400 pages. I was prepared. I was ready, ready to go to work."
Wright said his unique experience and background working as a businessman and real estate broker is what contributed to his success in the election. He said the first thing he intends to do now that he's been elected is to fix the housing problem in the city.
"We have a real housing shortage and that's the first thing that I would like to really dig in and work on with the council and with the citizens of Jefferson City, and also with, you know, public and private partnerships," Wright said.
Wright also said that he does not plan to step away from the council anytime soon.
"I fully intend to run for the position come next April," Wright said. "So you know, God willing, and the creek don't rise...that's what will happen."
