Humble City Council takes no action on vacant Place 3 position

Humble City Council took no action on a vacant council seat following an executive session at the City Council meeting Jan. 28. The Place 3 position was left vacant by Norman Funderburk, who resigned from council in mid-January to run for mayor shortly after Mayor Merle Aaron announced his retirement.

Three positions are on the ballot in the May 1 election: Place 1 and Place 2—currently held by Council Members Andy Curry and Charles Cunningham, respectively—as well as the mayoral position.

When council entered executive session Jan. 28, they were set to decide how Funderburk's position should be filled. They had the option of appointing an individual to fill his seat until the term ends in May 2022; adding the position to the May ballot; or leaving the seat vacant until May 2022 or until council chooses to make an appointment.

Ultimately, the council decided to take no action on the position, with Aaron saying the City Council would likely make a decision soon on how to fill the seats.

"Whenever we do have an action, we'll take it publicly here, and it'll probably be in a [special] called meeting," he said.

The filing period for the May 1 election ends 5 p.m. Feb. 12, according to the city website. As of Jan. 28, City Secretary Jenny Page said incumbents Curry and Cunningham are the only applicants for their respective positions. Funderburk is currently the only applicant for the position of mayor. If a race is uncontested, it will not appear on the May ballot.