Pennsylvania suburb will hold open auditions to find a new mayor

A small suburb east of Pittsburgh has a vacancy in its local government and it's come up with a unique way to find someone to fill the job.

The town of Braddock, Pennsylvania, which has about 2,100 residents, will hold open auditions Jan. 29 to fill the mayor's seat, KDKA-TV reported. Former Mayor John Fetterman left the position after being elected and recently sworn in as the state's new lieutenant governor.

The city council was expected to choose Fetterman's replacement from its short list of two candidates. But eventually declined after residents became angry over the selection process, claiming it lacked transparency.

What happened?

A three-person committee had privately screened seven candidates and came up with its short list of two finalists, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

At a council meeting Jan. 8, community members had their chance to question the finalists, Isaac Bunn and Pedro Valles.

That's when it was discovered that Bunn was not eligible to be mayor since he was registered to vote outside of Braddock.

Valles, a police officer, was eligible even though he serves as a constable for the state.

So, the council decided to scrap the whole thing and start over.

Who can audition?

The auditions are open to all interested citizens, including the previous applicants who didn't make the committee's short list.

Applicants must register with the city manager to be eligible to make their five-minute pitch on Jan. 29. They can also submit a letter and resume to the city.

"I believe in transparency," Council President Tina Doose told the Post-Gazette. "I believe in good government, and that's exactly what's taking place and it may not have gone smoothly or the way I wanted it to go but I think it will go the way the people will be satisfied with."

The council is expected to choose an interim mayor that same night. The interim mayor will serve until the May primary election. The interim mayor would then be allowed the option of running for a four-year term.