Following deadlocked votes, Bonaccorsi wins appointment to Fremont City Council

Appointed Fremont Councilmember -elect  David Bonaccorsi will be sworn-in on Feb. 7.

FREMONT CITY COUNCIL |
Before taking a vote on choosing its next member, Fremont Councilmember Vinnie Bacon mildly joked about flipping a coin in case of a tie among any one of the eight applicants seeking an appointment to the City Council. It almost happened.

After a first-round tie among two applicants and four failed motions, the City Council finally found consensus and appointed recently termed out Fremont planning commissioner David Bonaccorsi,

Bonaccorsi will fill the remaining two years of Mayor Lily Mei. council term following her election to mayor last November.

During Bonaccorsi’s interview earlier in the evening he exhibited a wide breadth of knowledge in city government, while preaching a desire for achieving consensus. Bonaccorsi spent 10 years on the Fremont planning commissioner.

“I’m a big cheerleader for all things Fremont,” he told the council Tuesday evening. Bonaccorsi, who unsuccessfully sought an appointment to the City Council in 2013, also advocated strongly for building upon the city’s performing arts scene.

The likelihood of Bonaccorsi winning the seat appeared remote after the initial vote featuring weighted votes for the top three candidates of each council member. The tally delivered only a pair of third-place votes for Bonaccorsi by way of Mei and Bacon.

Fremont activist Kathryn McDonald and Craig Steckler, a former Fremont police chief, both received a pair of first place votes, but also split the four remaining councilmembers.

Bacon, Councilmembers Raj Salwan and Rick Jones made impassioned pleas for each candidate, but ultimately failed to sway their colleagues. Subsequent motions to chose McDonald, Steckler and finalists Brannin Dorsey and Rakesh Sharma all registered 2-2 ties. Sharma finished fourth in the most recent council race won by Bacon and Salwan.

As the possibility of a deadlocked council neared, Bacon then motioned for Bonaccorsi and gained the vote of Jones to break the tie, 3-1. Salwan voted no.

HOW THEY VOTED
Mayor LILY MEI: 1) Kathryn McDonald 2) Rakesh Sharma 3) David Bonaccorsi.
Councilmember VINNIE BACON: 1)McDonald 2) Sharma 3) Bonaccorsi.
Councilmember RICK JONES: 1) Craig Steckler 2) Brannin Dorsey 3) Reshma Karipineni.
Councilmember RAJ SALWAN 1) Steckler 2) Dorsey 3) Karipineni.

RESULTS: 1) McDonald/Stecker 6 points 2) Sharma/Dorsey 4 points 3) Bonaccorsi/Karipineni 2 points.