At the January 21 City Council meeting, Council President David Jesser informed council that Dan Winterburn had formally resigned his council seat. In an email statement to City Administrator Alvis received earlier in the day, Winterburn had written, “As stated on the phone call of this morning, due to medical reasons…I feel it is in the best interest of all if I resign.” Jesser and others then expressed their best wishes for Mr. Winterburn and thanked him for his service. (Jesser, as Council President, was filling-in for Mayor Becker who was on vacation.)
Via telephone, Mayor Becker told the Review, “In accepting Dan Winterburn’s resignation, I’d like to express my appreciation for his years of service to the city. Though we can’t give him a gold watch, we certainly wish him well in his “retirement.”
Dan Winterburn was elected to the Jacksonville City Council in the November, 2010 General Election, along with Paul Hayes and Jim Lewis. His four-year term is due to expire December 31, 2014.
Owen Jurling
As per protocol, the seat will likely be offered to and filled by Owen Jurling. Jurling narrowly missed being elected to the council in the November, 2012 General Election, finishing 4th in a field of 6, just 23 votes shy of winning one of three seats.
Jurling brings a great deal of experience to the role, with years of service on Jacksonville’s Historic Architectural Control Commission and Planning Commission. Since late 2012, Jurling has been the Chair of the Planning Commission and its liaison to HARC. He is also a volunteer with Jacksonville’s Community Emergency Response Team and owner of Healing Point Acupuncture in Jacksonville.
In a telephone interview on Wednesday, January 22, Jurling noted that he had already spoken with City Administrator Alvis and had expressed his desire to fill the vacant seat. The matter of filling the vacancy will be the first matter of business for the council to consider at its next public meeting on February 3 at Old City Hall at 6:00 pm.
The last time the City Council filled a vacant seat was three years ago when then-Councilor Paul Becker was appointed Mayor, leaving an open seat. Per protocol, Council appointed David Jesser to fill Becker’s remaining term, since Jesser had been the next-highest-vote-getter in the November, 2010 Council election. In that race, Jesser missed winning one of three seats by only 3 votes.
Posted January 22, 2014