Local Republicans will begin the process of selecting a person to fill Terry Hockersmith’s seat on the Montgomery County Council.
Hockersmith died Thursday after battling cancer. His term expires on Dec. 31.
When a council member dies or leaves office before their term is up, the party calls a caucus to appoint a successor. The caucus must be held within 30 days after the vacancy, according to state law.
Montgomery County GOP Chair Dan Guard said he would review the requirements for the gathering over the weekend.
“I’ll call the state to … make sure we do the right thing as far as procedures and then at that time I’ll announce a date for the caucus,” said Guard, who will head the meeting.
Guard himself was selected by the party to join the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners following the resignation of Phil Bane in 2019.
A representative from each of the 27 precincts can vote in the caucus. Hopefuls must declare their candidacy with the party chair at least three days before the scheduled caucus.
The person who receives a majority of the votes is appointed to the seat.
Hockersmith returned to the council in 2017 after serving eight years as a county commissioner. He was not seeking another term.
“He was very active,” Guard said, “and, you know, if we had as many people that were passionate about serving local government as he [was], then, oh, daggone. We need to have more people to be as passionate as he is — was.”