On Tuesday, January 10th, the Apex Town Council voted to appoint Mr. Arno Zegerman to fill a vacant seat on the Town Council, serving through December of this year.

The seat was made vacant by former Councilmember Cheryl Stallings, who won her recent election to the Wake County Board of Commissioners. The appointment was made following an open and extensive application and selection process. From the 34 applications submitted, four final candidates were selected by the current Mayor and Council, and interviewed in an open meeting on January 6th.

A welcome reception will be held just prior to the regular council meeting on January 24th at Apex Town Hall, located at 73 Hunter Street, from 5:30 - 6 pm. The public is invited to attend.

Mr. Zegerman provided the following statement:

"I am honored and privileged to have been appointed to serve on the Apex Town Council. I would like to express my gratitude to the residents who expressed their support during the application process. I also would like to thank the Mayor, Town Council and Town Clerk for creating a fair and transparent process to appoint a new Town council member outside of the normal election process. I'm committed to earn the trust of Apex residents and to represent everybody fairly and equitably.

I look forward to working with my fellow Council members and Town staff to address the concerns of our community and lead smart, sustainable growth that keeps Apex a great place for all of us to live, work, and raise our families. Apex is a wonderful town and I'm excited to contribute to its bright future."

Zegerman has been an Apex resident since 2013 and currently serves as the Chief of Staff, in the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), at Silicon Valley Bank. He attended Eramus University, Rotterdam School of Management, and obtained his MSc Management Sciences degree.  Additional information about Mr. Zegerman can be found here<https://www.apexnc.org/1376/Council-Member-Appoint-Arno-Zegerman>.

Background

On Tuesday, November 29, 2022, the Apex Town Council voted to accept Councilmember Cheryl Stallings resignation and initiate the selection process. Council unanimously voted to adopted a policy and process timeline for appointing a candidate to fill the unexpired term.

A total of 31 eligible applications were received for the vacancy.  While a total of 17 candidates received nominations, only four received a majority (three or more votes) required to move forward to the interview phase in the selection process.  On January 6, 2023, Council interviewed the four candidates and conducted a public hearing to receive feedback on the potential candidates.

The full meeting, including candidate interviews, the public hearing, and Council deliberations, was open to the public and is available on the Town's YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/TownofApexGov.

According to North Carolina General Statutes § 160A-63 and the Apex Town Code of Ordinances, the Apex Town Council has the authority to appoint a qualified individual to fill Stallings unexpired term until residents have the opportunity to elect a successor in the 2023 Apex municipal elections.