Erie Board of Trustees appoint Dan Hoback to fill vacancy
May 18—A new member has joined the Erie Board of Trustees.
On Tuesday night, the board unanimously voted to appoint Dan Hoback to fill the seat left vacant by former trustee Christiaan van Woudenberg.
The appointment comes one week after van Woudenberg unexpectedly announced his resignation just over a month after being sworn in to fulfill a second term.
Following van Woudenberg's resignation, Mayor Justin Brooks released a statement supporting the appointment of Hoback, a candidate in April's municipal election who finished fourth in the voting. The top three vote-getters — van Woudenberg, Emily Baer and Andrew Sawusch — were elected. Sawusch finished just six votes ahead of Hoback for the final seat.
Brooks' nomination of Hoback, who has lived in Erie for 20 years and serves on the planning commission, was met with support from the rest of the board.
"The election was six, seven weeks ago. It is very recent. We have a pretty resounding response from the voting body as to how they ranked the candidates for trustee, so I believe that it certainly stands to reason that it's appropriate to take the next highest vote," Brooks said during Tuesday's special meeting.
Hoback was sworn in immediately following the vote.
Though van Woudenberg vacated a four-year post, Hoback's term will last just two years, and the seat will be up for grabs in the 2024 municipal election.
This is not the first time that the town board has voted to appoint a replacement trustee. Brooks was appointed to the board in 2021 after Bill Gippe resigned his position.
When a vacancy occurs, the Board of Trustees are responsible for filling that vacancy within 60 days of a board member's resignation, per the town municipal code. The appointment process is up to the discretion of the town board.
