Grayson Stone Quits the Twin Falls City Council

Grayson Stone says he can’t divide his time between the City Council and his pursuit of a state legislative seat.  The councilman submitted his resignation letter Monday evening, effective at midnight.  Stone is seeking a permanent seat in the House of Representatives from District 25A.  He filled that seat last session as a substitute after Representative Don Hall stepped aside for health reasons.  Stone then decided to pursue the seat permanently.

There's a Lot of Shifting of Seats Going On

He defeated an opponent in a primary in May.  He has an opponent, a Democrat, in the General Election.  While he could’ve continued in both roles, he estimated it could take weeks for a successor to be named to the council, and with a colleague also running for legislature, a sudden additional vacancy could severely impact council deliberations.

Councilwoman Cherie Vollmer is a candidate in Legislative District 25B.  If both succeed, the council would be reduced from seven to five members.  By staggering resignations, it avoids what could be a crisis when the council needs a quorum.  This is quite possible, as both council members are Republicans, and that greatly increases their odds of winning in November.

City Residents Can Apply for the Vacancy

There are no council elections pending, and potential appointees would find themselves running soon for a more permanent role.  The city has a process in place and will ask members of the public to apply if they’ve an interest.  It then works much like a typical job interview.