Irvine officials pick planning commissioner for vacant City Council seat

Irvine’s City Council again has a full complement of five members, after Planning Commissioner Mike Carroll was chosen Tuesday, May 14, to fill a vacant seat on the dais.

Though Councilwoman Melissa Fox and some residents maintained that voters should pick the new council member, Carroll’s appointment averts a special election that would have cost the city $903,000 – money some council members said would be better spent on city services.

The appointment ends a round of musical chairs triggered by former mayor Don Wagner’s election as a county supervisor. Councilwoman Christina Shea moved to the mayor’s chair, leaving a council seat with more than 18 months left in its term. Of the 31 residents who applied for the appointment, 12 people were interviewed before Carroll was picked in a 3-1 vote with Fox opposed.

Carroll, who has also served on the city’s community services commission, described himself as a small business owner who volunteers to support local schools and has coached an elementary-age girls football team. He was sworn in Tuesday night to a seat that will be up for election in fall 2020.