The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-07-31
Joint Session to Name Richard
sons Successor, Who Will
Serve Two Years.
MAY GO OVER TO SEPTEMBER
Dabney's Friends Active in His
Behalf, While Mccarthy Is
Willing to Accept.

The resignation Of Mayor Richardson
viii make necessary an election for
Mayor at the hands Of the City Council
in joint session. Not until June 1914
Will the people have a Mayor select ed
In Popular election. Several candi-
dates are already in the held. and the
field would be greatly augmented were
II not for the fact that the consti-
tuition forblds the Council to elect one
Of its own members to any office OF
emolument
1t is possible that Mayor Richardson
may hold his present position and NOT
qualify Judge of tne Hastings
Court until after September l. since
there is no August term of the Hust-
ings Court and arrangements have
already been made for Judge Southa!l
to hear the pending cases In that
event the election Will he at the hands
Of the incoming Council should he
qualify at once. hoewver. his resig-
nation Will be presented to the Presi-
dent Of the Board Of Aldermen, and
the Office OF Mayor viii be vacant I'M
III a Joint session is held and a Mayor
elected.
City Attorneys Views.
In case OF this sort" said City
Attorney Pollard yesterday, there is
no provision BY which the President OF
the Board OF Aldermen may act as
Mayor lie only serves in the event
of the sickness, inability or absence
from the city of the Mayor The
death or resignation OF the Mayor ere
ates = vacancy which must be Allied
BY the city Council until the next
general oloction. in which ne may he
legally elected.
Going back to the constitution 20
Al -
he legally held Section l23 requires
that mayor and councils Of cities tie
elected on the second Tuesday in June.
and that their terms commence on
tho nrst of tho following September.
There viii be no regular spring eles-
ton until the second Tuesday tn June.
leia. when new Common Council IS
10 he elected
Council Must Elect
II am nj opinion. therefore thtt
when the office Of Mayor becomes va
cant by the acceptance by Mayor Rich
srdson of this iudscship that tho pro-
per proceeding will he for tho present
civ Council To meet At once in Joint
session. and elect Mayor to serve out
thi. uneNpirod term which ends August
III nest. OF course the man elected
for this short term OF little moro than
a month would under the constitution,
continuo TO serve until his successor
is legally elected and qnaiiles
There would then have 10 be a rev
election for the term beginning sep
tember D. for which Mayor Richard :
son had already boon elected and had
quaiihcd Whether this second ciec-
ton would have to be at the hards
Of the present Council or the in
coming reduced Council. which takes
Office September /. am not yet fully
certain. though l am inclined TO the
belief that it must be at the hands
of the incoming Council, which ar
ganizes on September =
That election woulc then hold good
until Juno. ioli vii II in the next
Succeeding general election. in which
Mayor may he legally elected. the PEG
pic would elect FOR the nneNpired
term. and tile now Mayor might qualify
as soor after the June election "a his
election was certified.
In tho event of an election by thc
City Council no member OF the Council
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