OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Special City Council Meeting for Appointment to Vacant Seat - July 8, 2025

City CouncilTuesday, July 8, 2025
BodyBullhead City, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 8, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:26:41

Transcript — Verbatim
4:57

Interview ten candidates for one position.

5:01

And that position will be for one year, a term of one year.

5:05

And hopefully you look at uh going for four more years afterwards and running like the rest of us because we'll be I'll be doing the same thing with you.

5:15

Anyway, so what we're you have that is the um the council does not answer questions, so do not ask questions each candidate will get each candidate will get uh five minutes to um introduce yourself and after uh and you'll be timed so you don't run over to five.

5:35

Give everybody equal chance, and then after that, uh you will be uh open to questions and answers.

5:42

And uh you'll be coming up right in front of us over here, sitting near the microphone, get nice and comfortable, and just answer whatever questions are proposed to you, and that's about it.

5:55

Does anybody else have anything to say?

5:57

Uh Toby, would you like to vice mayor?

5:59

Council members, good morning.

6:00

Uh good morning to the ten candidates.

6:02

Uh thank you for being here today.

6:04

The record will reflect that this is for the appointment.

6:08

Uh for a council member, uh, since uh Steve Diamico has resigned and was hired by the Metropolitan Planning Organization.

6:15

I do have a few things to point out.

6:18

Uh obviously, as you said, Vice Mayor, uh, there are ten people who've applied, only one can be selected by vote of the city council today.

6:26

So that's nine great people who uh can run for office.

6:30

And uh there's gonna be a primary just about a year from now.

6:33

So those individuals who are not selected are certainly encouraged to check it that out with the city clerk when the time is right.

6:41

So the council today has the task, and it's a legislative duty that the council has to do the appointment.

6:47

So I'm gonna just read off uh some of the information, the pertinent information that was given to council uh for this process.

6:54

Each member of the city council shall select the board, city council member today by casting a vote.

7:00

When casting the vote, each council member shall use a paper ballot that'll be provided by the city clerk, and they'll write the applicant's name and select that name.

7:10

These are a public record.

7:12

Uh their names will be on, so you will know who each person has voted for.

7:16

The city clerk will announce it, and uh then we'll keep this process going until someone has reached an affirmative four votes.

7:25

Essentially, uh under our city code 2.04.10.

7:31

There's not specificity as to the actual voting process.

7:34

Oh, however, unfortunately, we've gone through this a number of times as a city and we've gotten very good at it.

7:41

And so council will make a determination as to the appointment, a by paper ballot.

7:48

It's done privately, but then the clerk reads it.

7:52

And so as we go through this process, the city attorney will o oversee that with the city clerk's office as you vote uh after the presentations.

8:01

So first and foremost, we have uh those five minute up to five minute presentations.

8:07

Uh the council will give each candidate.

8:09

They certainly do not have to take five minutes, it's up to them as to the length of time.

8:13

And then again, this is a legislative process, so the council can ask that candidate a question or not.

8:20

Um it doesn't mean anything if the council asks a question or not.

8:23

And as the vice mayor said, this is not an opportunity for public comment.

8:27

It's not a question and answer session with the city council.

8:30

This is a council process where they are picking a candidate to fill a vacancy.

8:36

So as we go through that and as we get closer to the end of the presentations, I'll come back again with the city attorney and we'll once again remind council of the voting process, the paper process and what happens as we get those votes and council working toward someone having four or more votes.

8:55

So I won't bore you with that part of the message now.

8:58

We'll come back to that.

9:00

And I believe what the vice mayor will do today is that he will call the candidate up.

9:04

We ask the candidates to come around the side, use the stairs, uh, sit at the podium or the the table here, make themselves comfortable if there's paper or things they want to bring up with them, that's certainly appropriate.

9:16

Uh the vice mayor will call them, and that's when uh I believe Councilmember Newland has the five-minute clock.

9:22

So hopefully that is explains our process today.

9:25

Does council have any questions for staff?

9:30

Okay, well, we're ready, Vice Mayor.

9:32

Before we start, I did forget to mention that today is Tuesday, July 8th, 2025.

9:39

And can I have a roll call?

9:41

All council members are present.

9:43

Thank you very much.

9:44

Okay, so the first candidate that we have is Annette Wegman Wood.

9:48

Would you kindly come up?

10:10

Just be careful and don't fall off the edge over there.

10:15

Thank you.

10:19

Okay, beginning with state your name.

10:23

Good morning, Mayor, Council, and staff.

10:25

My name is Annette Wegman Wood.

10:27

I am a resident of Bullhead City.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement██████████████████████████26%
Procedural██████████████████████22%
Economic Development█████████9%
Public Safety█████████9%
Transportation Safety██████6%
Water And Wastewater Management██████6%
Affordable Housing████4%
Homelessness███3%
Animal Welfare██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Special City Council Meeting for Appointment to Vacant Seat - July 8, 2025

On Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at 12:00 PM, the Bullhead City Council held a special meeting to interview ten applicants and appoint a citizen to fill the vacant council seat created by the resignation of Mayor Steve D’Amico. The appointed individual will serve from July 15, 2025, through the end of the 2026 election cycle. All six council members were present. The meeting included a ten-minute break after the fifth interview.

Discussion Items

  • Interview Process: Vice Mayor Alfonso and City Manager Toby explained the process. Each candidate received up to five minutes for an introduction, followed by questions from council members. The council used paper ballots for voting, with a majority of four votes needed to appoint. After the first round, if no majority, candidates with the fewest votes would be eliminated.
  • Candidate Presentations: The ten applicants were interviewed in the following order:
    1. Annette Wegmann-Wood – Former council member (6 years) and vice mayor. Highlighted experience with the bridge, Epcor condemnation, senior center expansion, and budget work. Expressed support for additional police officers and traffic light synchronization. Opposed roundabouts. Lives in Laughlin Ranch. Could not commit to running for a full term.
    2. Beata Berry (JD) – Real estate and property management background. Emphasized community involvement, volunteer work, and a desire to maintain Bullhead City’s friendly, small-town character while managing growth. Lives in Sunridge Estates. Would run for a full term.
    3. Jacqueline Miller – Resident for four years. Focused on water affordability, parks, law enforcement, traffic, and a full-time veterinarian for the new animal shelter. Suggested adding code enforcement officers. Proposed educating the public to reduce panhandling. Would run for a full term.
    4. Scotty McClure – Lived in Bullhead since 1979. Former school board member. Advocated for using AI in city operations, criticized the hiring of two assistant city managers, and expressed concerns about water drainage and traffic turn lanes. Does not plan to run for re-election; intends to run for County District 2 Supervisor.
    5. Kim Villalobos – Resident for five years, homeowner in Holiday Shores. Passionate about tourism and public safety. Supports increased police funding and better communication on public safety issues. Would run for a full term.
    6. Bo Hellams – CEO of the Bullhead Area Chamber of Commerce, former city parks employee. Holds a Master’s in Public Administration. Advocated for more lifeguards, regional tourism marketing, and non-motorized transportation (bike lanes). Does not plan to run for re-election. Stated he would use the position to grow his resume.
    7. Pamela Smith – Lived in Bullhead for 7 years, owned property since 2003. Active in planning and zoning (chair since 2023), community organizations, and local politics. Attends council meetings regularly. Expressed interest in paying down debt service. Would consider running for a full term. Criticized a 2023 council decision to allow smaller lot sizes.
    8. Kenya Cribb – Vocational rehabilitation counselor for the state of Arizona. Serves as vice chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission and on the Board of Adjustments. Advocates for affordable housing and youth/senior programs. Would run for a full term.
    9. Ellen Brown – Resident since 1980, works for Mojave Electric Cooperative. Active in community events, Relay for Life, Women’s Council, and chamber ambassador. Emphasized public safety and economic development to attract businesses and professionals. Would run for a full term.
    10. Stephen Brown – Pastor and director of the Bullhead Regional Food Bank. Vice chair of Planning and Zoning. Addressed the opiate epidemic, mental health facility reopening, and food bank funding. Does not plan to run for re-election due to personal reasons.

Key Outcomes

  • Appointment: After the interviews, the council conducted a paper ballot vote. The city clerk read the results of the first round:
    • Councilmember Head voted for Pamela Smith.
    • Councilmember Dalman voted for Pamela Smith.
    • Councilmember Newland voted for Pamela Smith.
    • Councilmember O’Neill voted for Pamela Smith.
    • Pamela Smith received five votes (a majority of four required), resulting in her appointment to fill the vacant seat.
  • Next Steps: The appointed council member will be sworn in at the beginning of the July 15, 2025, Regular City Council Meeting. At that meeting, the council will also select a mayor and vice mayor from among the seven members.

Meeting Transcript

Interview ten candidates for one position. And that position will be for one year, a term of one year. And hopefully you look at uh going for four more years afterwards and running like the rest of us because we'll be I'll be doing the same thing with you. Anyway, so what we're you have that is the um the council does not answer questions, so do not ask questions each candidate will get each candidate will get uh five minutes to um introduce yourself and after uh and you'll be timed so you don't run over to five. Give everybody equal chance, and then after that, uh you will be uh open to questions and answers. And uh you'll be coming up right in front of us over here, sitting near the microphone, get nice and comfortable, and just answer whatever questions are proposed to you, and that's about it. Does anybody else have anything to say? Uh Toby, would you like to vice mayor? Council members, good morning. Uh good morning to the ten candidates. Uh thank you for being here today. The record will reflect that this is for the appointment. Uh for a council member, uh, since uh Steve Diamico has resigned and was hired by the Metropolitan Planning Organization. I do have a few things to point out. Uh obviously, as you said, Vice Mayor, uh, there are ten people who've applied, only one can be selected by vote of the city council today. So that's nine great people who uh can run for office. And uh there's gonna be a primary just about a year from now. So those individuals who are not selected are certainly encouraged to check it that out with the city clerk when the time is right. So the council today has the task, and it's a legislative duty that the council has to do the appointment. So I'm gonna just read off uh some of the information, the pertinent information that was given to council uh for this process. Each member of the city council shall select the board, city council member today by casting a vote. When casting the vote, each council member shall use a paper ballot that'll be provided by the city clerk, and they'll write the applicant's name and select that name. These are a public record. Uh their names will be on, so you will know who each person has voted for. The city clerk will announce it, and uh then we'll keep this process going until someone has reached an affirmative four votes. Essentially, uh under our city code 2.04.10. There's not specificity as to the actual voting process. Oh, however, unfortunately, we've gone through this a number of times as a city and we've gotten very good at it. And so council will make a determination as to the appointment, a by paper ballot. It's done privately, but then the clerk reads it. And so as we go through this process, the city attorney will o oversee that with the city clerk's office as you vote uh after the presentations. So first and foremost, we have uh those five minute up to five minute presentations. Uh the council will give each candidate. They certainly do not have to take five minutes, it's up to them as to the length of time. And then again, this is a legislative process, so the council can ask that candidate a question or not. Um it doesn't mean anything if the council asks a question or not. And as the vice mayor said, this is not an opportunity for public comment. It's not a question and answer session with the city council. This is a council process where they are picking a candidate to fill a vacancy. So as we go through that and as we get closer to the end of the presentations, I'll come back again with the city attorney and we'll once again remind council of the voting process, the paper process and what happens as we get those votes and council working toward someone having four or more votes. So I won't bore you with that part of the message now. We'll come back to that. And I believe what the vice mayor will do today is that he will call the candidate up. We ask the candidates to come around the side, use the stairs, uh, sit at the podium or the the table here, make themselves comfortable if there's paper or things they want to bring up with them, that's certainly appropriate. Uh the vice mayor will call them, and that's when uh I believe Councilmember Newland has the five-minute clock. So hopefully that is explains our process today. Does council have any questions for staff? Okay, well, we're ready, Vice Mayor. Before we start, I did forget to mention that today is Tuesday, July 8th, 2025. And can I have a roll call?

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