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Ms., Ruth White <br /> August 17, 1979 <br /> Page 3 <br /> certifying the results to the county auditor or -to the candidates after the period <br /> for contest has passed. <br /> The three day period for canvassing results of the election was obviously intended <br /> to supplant the two day period prescribed by the statute and would be effective. <br /> However, would it not be clearer to citizens and possibly avoid expense in litigation <br /> if all the mechanism of M.S. 205.14, Subd. 3 were set out in your charter provision <br /> with such changes as your charter cornission thinks necessary or if Section 4..05 <br /> were deleted with complete dependence on the state law. <br /> Section 4.06 <br /> This provision on .special elections provides for published notice prior to the election <br /> but no posted notice. It seems anomalous to require posted notice as well as pub - <br /> lication <br /> ub `'lication for regularly scheduled elections, while requiring only published notice <br /> for a special election which citizens will have even less opportunity to anticipate. <br /> Section 4.07` <br /> The required thirty-seven day prior published notice of this special election to fill <br /> vacancies in elective office would seem to be insufficient since filing would have <br /> to be completed by thirty days prior to the election. This would give- even a shorter <br /> period to potential candidates for their decision as to whether or not to run. T <br /> say this on the assumption that all potential candidates might notread of the va- <br /> cancy on theday of its first publication. <br /> This section also calls for a special election to be held within forty-five days <br /> after the vacancy occurs without any reference to the possibility that a regularly <br /> scheduled election may be approaching. Some economies might be achieved byavoiding <br /> a separate special election in those cases when a regular-if scheduled election is <br /> to occur within say six months of the vacancy. <br /> The last sentence of subdivision 2 would seem to make sense if you lengthened the <br /> notice period required for special elections to forty-five days. Otherwise you <br /> might as well take advantage of regularly scheduled elections which are to occur <br /> shortly after a vacancy. <br /> Section 5.08 <br /> As I indicated to the commission in my consultation with that body early in their <br /> drafting process, the efficacy of such recall provisions- is not free from doubt. <br /> in view of Jacobsen v. Nagel (mentioned on page 7 of the model charter comments) . Still , <br /> I think it- is useful to have such a provision in a charter where the objective of <br /> the drafters is toobtain maximum responsiveness of the elective officers. <br /> Section 6.01 <br /> The first sentence might read, "the council , as a body, shall he responsible for <br /> the administration of the city." Note the demands on council members' time which <br /> such a provision makes if it is to be done effectively_ <br />