Morrison will take his new office at the start of next year and at the same time, create a vacancy for his District 1 City Parish Council seat.
City Parish Councilman Purvis Morrison was elected the next mayor of Scott in Saturday's election. Morrison will take his new office at the start of next year and at the same time, create a vacancy for his District 1 City Parish Council seat. Exactly when Morrison decides to step-down from the council will have important ramifications on his successor's election. The city-parish charter mandates the Council appoint someone to fill any vacancy on the council within 15 days of a councilman's resignation. The charter also states that "if one year or less of the unexpired term remains when the vacancy occurs, the appointee shall serve out the remainder of the term." If more than one year remains, the council must call a special election to decide who will fill out the term.
Morrison began his four-year council term in 2008, meaning his term expires at the end of 2011. Therefore, if Morrison does not step down until after next year, the Council should be able to appoint a replacement to serve out the rest of his term. The October 2011 election will decide the next four year council terms. Morrison could not be reached this morning for comment. However, council clerck Norma Dugas says barring something unforeseen, the council expects Morrison to remain on the council through the end of the year, thereby allowing for an appointee to fill out the remainder of his term starting next year. The charter also stipulates "the person appointed to fill the vacancy shall not be eligible to be a candidate for the next full term for the Council."