Daily Mining Gazette graphic Individuals can become councilors by following one of two pathways as show above.

HANCOCK — While the Hancock City Council is regularly reported on, how one becomes a member is a unknown to many. Long-time councilor and former mayor John Haeussler explained how the process works in a recent interview.

“There’s a lot more that happens behind the scenes and in smaller group sessions that a lot of people don’t see,” said Haeussler. “I would recommend people understand the time commitment and the energy that it takes to make decisions not just for yourself but for your friends and neighbors.”

The Hancock City Council has seven seats – one for each of Hancock’s three wards and four at-large positions. Ward positions are four-year terms, while at-large positions are two-year terms.

Registered voters living in the city can become councilors through winning an election or being appointed to fill a vacancy between elections. Vacancies most often appear when a councilor steps down.

When a seat is vacant between elections, the council alerts the public and accepts letters of interest. The council then selects an applicant to fill the vacant position which goes to election when the term expires.

Running for election is more complicated and begins with picking up a “Candidate Petition” from the city clerk. This petition must be signed by at least 25 people from anywhere in the city for an at-large position or by 25 people from within a specific ward for a ward position. The full petition must then be turned in by 4 p.m. on the day of the August primary election, according to Hancock’s charter.

“It will take a bit of time to collect the necessary signatures,” said Haeussler, who recommended getting more than the minimum required number in the event that some of the signatures are questioned. “Signatures have to be collected in the presence of the circulator, usually the candidate, so you can’t leave the petition somewhere and come back and pick it up later.”

Candidates must also register with the county clerk. This involves filling out information including the location of campaign headquarters, the head of the campaign committee, and the financial institution that would handle campaign contributions. This paperwork is designed to protect transparency but, according to Haeussler it’s more a formality because few council candidates run a campaign involving more than the minimum amount that must be legally reported at the county level. Few council candidates run campaigns that extend beyond word-of-mouth and letters-to-the-editor.

“Historically, the council positions have not been contested,” said Haeussler. “In the last ten years that I’ve been watching it, you tend to have a lot of applicants for appointed positions … but I can’t remember having more names on the ballot than there were open positions.”

The minimum campaigning that most council candidates do involves filling out a questionnaire from the League of Women Voters, who use the responses to compile a voter guide before major elections.

“Even if you are running unopposed, it’s both helpful and there’s some degree of obligation to fill out your position so that that information gets to the voters,” said Haeussler. Haeussler pointed out that virtually of these steps can be skipped by candidates running a write-in campaign. However, “It’s virtually impossible to win as a write-in if there are enough names on the ballot to cover the open positions.”

Once an election is complete, Hancock charter requires that the elected be sworn in within a certain number of days. In the event of an appointment, the appointee may be sworn in on the day that they are selected.

“There is, in my experience, no formal orientation process,” said Haeussler. “I recommend both new and experienced municipal officials spend time learning the process and some applicable laws.”

This year, all three of Hancock’s ward positions – currently held by Ron Blau, John Slivon, and Dan Seguin – as well as the at-large position currently held by Haeussler are up for election.