City Council to Consider Replacing Shaw

The City Council will consider replacing Councilman Clarence Shaw's seat with a temporary caretaker next week after learning that Shaw will not be able to participate in any council decisions while on active duty in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Shaw, a major in the Army Reserves, was for a one-year deployment in Washington. The council had hoped he could still participate in city decisions, but he informed staff recently that he won't be able to.

Under the law, the city has the temporarily, and that can be done in a variety of ways, according to a council staff report.

The council has the option of appointing any willing Monrovia resident who is registered to vote and over the age of 18. They can also select one of the candidates from the last election or hold interviews to find someone, according to the report.

Or, if the , they can just move forward without Shaw, as three council members voted to do earlier this month.

City Manager Scott Ochoa, who is next month, did not make a recommendation to the council in his report.

"As the impact of this matter is wholly of, by and for the City Council, staff will
reserve recommendation in this matter," Ochoa wrote.

Councilman Tom Adams has pushed to replace Shaw so that the council does not deadlock on future votes.

Shaw told the council that he would support a decision to temporarily fill his seat "if the replacement councilmember was truly needed in order to advance the public’s business," according to Ochoa.