- During the June 23 Board of Commissioners special called session, the Board appointed Daniel Hupp to fill the unexpired term of former commissioner Haseeb Fatmi.
- Hupp’s appointment was secured after four rounds of voting by the commissioners and a tie-breaking vote by Mayor Ben Clapsaddle following interviews with Hupp and four other candidates.
- Hupp was sworn in immediately following the vote and took his seat on the dais.
WAKE FOREST, NC – During the June 23 Board of Commissioners special called session, the Board appointed Daniel Hupp to fill the unexpired term of former commissioner Haseeb Fatmi.
Hupp’s appointment was secured after four rounds of voting by the commissioners and a tie-breaking vote by Mayor Ben Clapsaddle following interviews with Hupp and four other candidates - Abigail Black, Joan Falvey, Joseph Longoria, and Gregory McDaniel.
The five finalists were selected from among 13 applicants after the June 3-17 application period via board member scoring. Each commissioner scored his/her top seven candidates and submitted their rankings to the Town Clerk, who tallied the totals to determine the overall top five. Originally, there was a tie for fifth place, so plans were made to interview the top six vote-getters. However, two of the six (Michael Infinger and L. Dallas Spruill) withdrew from consideration which opened the fifth spot to the next highest-ranked applicant, Gregory McDaniel.
During each round of voting Tuesday evening, Hupp and Falvey received two votes apiece. Discussion between rounds of voting revealed that Commissioners Faith Cross and Nick Sliwinski voted for Hupp each of the first three rounds, while Commissioners Keith Shackleford and Adam Wright voted for Falvey.
Prior to the interviews, the Board approved voting logistics, including the available options should there still be a tie after three rounds of voting. After the third-round tie vote, Sliwinski discussed with the Board whether additional interviews should be conducted or if the process should be completed during the current meeting. Utilizing one of the options available to the Board (according to their previously approved voting logistics), Sliwinski also made a motion to appoint Hupp to fill the vacant seat and Cross seconded. In the subsequent vote, Cross and Sliwinski voted yes to the motion, while Shackleford and Wright voted no. As required by statute and ordinance, Mayor Clapsaddle broke the 2-2 tie by voting to affirm Hupp’s nomination.
Town Attorney Nathan McKinney noted that while the final vote alone would have been legally sufficient to fill the vacancy, the Board voluntarily made the extra efforts to accept applications, rank candidates, hold an extra meeting, and conduct interviews.
Hupp was sworn in following the vote and took his seat on the dais. His term commences immediately and expires in December 2029.
For more information, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/board-commissioners/boc-vacancy or contact Town Clerk Evelyn Wright at ewright@wakeforestnc.gov or 919-435-9432.