Roman Forest City Council members approved the appointment of Montgomery County Emergency Services District 7 Fire Chief Howard Rinewalt to serve as Position 3 council member for the remainder of the term.
The details
Council members approved the appointment with a 2-1 vote during the council’s May 18 meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell Davis cast the dissenting vote, while council member Larry Sanders was not present for the meeting.
The appointment is coming about two months after former Position 3 council member Jerry Reasner announced his resignation from the position following the death of a family member.
Mayor Chris Parr said Rinewalt—who was not able to attend the meeting because he had been deployed to fight a wildfire–will be sworn into office during the council’s next meeting.
A closer look
Before casting the dissenting vote, Davis had nominated Linda Stewart to fill the position. Stewart ran for the Place 2 council member position last November but lost to council member David Mullane by nine votes.
While Davis said he had no objection to Rinewalt as an individual, he said he’d never seen Rinewalt attend any City Council meetings since he was elected.
“Appointing somebody who has never been to one of our meetings and never shown an interest in city politics, I don't think it's the right thing,” Davis said.
Mullane, who nominated Rinewalt, said it was possible he had been watching the meetings remotely.
“He could be, but he’s never been in this room while I’ve been in this room,” Davis said. “Other people have been here, have shown an interest, have attended our meetings, where the chief has not shown any interest in being part of this government.”
What’s next
Rinewalt is set to serve in the Place 3 council member position until it is up for reelection in November.
