An impasse among the four sitting Wyoming town council members is preventing an open seat from being filled.

    “We’re all in favor of filling this position tonight but we have a 2-2 vote,” Mayor Dale Rife said at the Monday night meeting.

    After last February’s municipal election was cancelled because no one contested the seats won by Mike Marasco and Georgette Williams, another seat opened up several weeks later with the resignation of Vice Mayor Dave Reed.

    Since then, the four-member council has been unable to agree on who should fill the position. Former council member Paula King submitted her name after council advertised for applicants last month. So did resident Butch Arnold.

    However, after a series of votes and motions over the past month, the council remains deadlocked over the issue.

    King, attending Monday night’s meeting with a half-dozen supporters, reiterated her desire to serve on the council.

    “I feel because of my personal feelings and opinions … everything I’ve done on this council was forgotten,” she said. “My being on this council is not whether I can serve but who my friends are.”

    Apparently, her friends are councilmen Marasco and Mike McFann who continue to vote in favor of King while Rife and Williams vote against her filling the vacant seat. Rife and Williams subsequently have voted for Arnold to fill the empty seat with Marasco and McFann voting no.

    At issue is an email King inadvertently sent to Williams in which she said Rife must go. Williams said she felt King had told her one thing and then wrote something different in the email that was meant for Marasco but that King accidentally sent to Williams.

    “It weighed my decision,” Williams said. “This email was in direct contrast to [what she said].”

    In fact, Williams said before receiving the controversial email, she intended to vote for King to fill the seat. That’s not the case now as she once again voted against King’s appointment Monday night.

    Rife suggested advertising the open seat again, though Marasco and McFann questioned what good that would do when they’re sure to receive the same applicants for the job.

    Holding a special election to fill the seat is out of the question because it’s not in the town charter to do so, Rife said. However, she said the town solicitor has told them that the position must be filled soon.

    In the meantime, other problems in the town of Wyoming have reached the state auditor’s office.

    Nick Adams, executive assistant to state auditor Thomas Wagner, said his office has requested information from the town on its policies and procedures. Once they receive a response from the town, Adams said the auditor would decide if an investigation is warranted or whether the problems can be resolved through advice.

Email Melissa K. Steele at melissa.steele@doverpost.com.