Thorpe’s Council Seat Still Up for Grabs

There’s an open seat on the City Council as longtime Councilman Trevor Thorpe resigns effective July 1, and who will fill that seat remains to be seen.

Mayor Michael Rohde has yet to come forward with a name to replace Thorpe, but officials said Tuesday that a decision could be made in the near future.

George McGoldrick, a former councilor and vice chairman of the Meriden Democratic Committee, told the Record-Journal on Monday that he expects a decision to be made soon. The situation will be complicated, however, with the seat also being up for election in November and the replacement for Thorpe potentially a short-term solution.

“There are probably pluses and minuses both ways,” McGoldrick told the Record-Journal. “Name recognition is probably a plus, but then there is only so much preparation time before the campaign.”

Thorpe, who has served on the council for nearly eight years and was serving as the Deputy Majority Leader, is leaving due to a change in residence. He and his wife, Carol, will be moving to a home in Wallingford that has been in the family for more than 250 years.

The resignation marks the third for the current council, all of which were resignations by Democrats. In November 2012, both Dante Bartolomeo and Hilda Santiago resigned after winning their elections and earning a seat in the state legislature.

TELL US: Do you have a selection for the open council seat? Who would you nominate? Let us know in the comments section below.

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