The Dillon Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday, April 29, to appoint council member Joshua Samuel as mayor pro tem.

The council had voted 4-2 at its meeting Tuesday, April 8, to reconsider the appointment of council member Rachel Tuyn as mayor pro tem, a position that fills in for the mayor when the mayor is absent. Council member Kyle Hendricks had abstained from the vote.

At the April 8 meeting, Mayor Carolyn Skowyra had said she wanted the council to reconsider Tuyn’s appointment as mayor pro tem because of Tuyn’s conduct during a March 25 meeting, where Skowyra said Tuyn cut off discussion.

While an attorney for the town told the council at the April 8 meeting that the vote failed to reach the required three-quarters majority, it was later realized that Hendrick’s abstinence actually counted as a ‘yes’ vote, meaning the measure should have passed. Therefore, the council resumed the nomination process at the April 29 meeting. 

Skowyra was absent from the April 29 meeting.

At the April 29 meeting, council member Samuel nominated Hendricks to be mayor pro tem. Hendricks then nominated Samuel and said he didn’t want to be mayor pro tem.

“I don’t think it is necessary to revote for a mayor pro tem. I think the vote we had originally (for Tuyn) would be just fine,” Hendricks said. “I think going back and doing this over again is just questioning our competency as a council. I mean we made a decision, a unanimous decision (to appoint Tuyn).”

Hendricks said that if the council has issues with any of its members’ conduct it should discuss it as a council. He also re-nominated Tuyn to be mayor pro tem.

Samuel described the decision to reconsider Tuyn’s appointment as mayor pro tem as “awkward.”

“I’m willing to take the position, but I find it difficult, this whole process,” Samuel said.

Tuyn was nominated for consideration by Hendricks, but the council accepted Samuel as mayor pro tem before a vote on her nomination, prompting a comment of relief from Tuyn when Hendricks withdrew his motion to nominate her.

“I appreciate it,” she said.

The council voted unanimously to appoint Samuel as mayor pro tem.

Samuel and Tuyn shook hands after the vote.