- During the February 3 Board of Commissioners work session, the Board appointed former commissioner Nicolas Sliwinski to fill the unexpired term of former commissioner and current Mayor Ben Clapsaddle.
- Sliwinski secured the seat after three rounds of voting by the four sitting commissioners.
- During the third and final round, Commissioner Cross voted for Daniel Hupp, while Commissioners Fatmi, Shackleford, and Wright voted for Sliwinski giving him the majority needed to secure the vacancy.
WAKE FOREST, NC – During the February 3 Board of Commissioners work session, the Board appointed former commissioner Nicolas Sliwinski to fill the unexpired term of former commissioner and current Mayor Ben Clapsaddle.
Sliwinski’s appointment was secured after three rounds of voting by the sitting commissioners following interviews with him and four other finalists - Abby Black, Joan Falvey, Daniel Hupp, and Jasmine Zavala.
Those finalists were selected from among 14 eligible residents that submitted applications during the December 19-January 14 application period. Excluding the five finalists, those applicants included Roxanne Aaron, David Blackwelder, John Daugherty, Jasper Denton, Roger Deutsch, Ricky Prill, David Rich, David Vaughn, and Kala Wilson.
At the conclusion of the application period, each commissioner ranked his/her top five applicants and submitted those rankings to the Town Clerk as follows:
- Commissioner Faith Cross: Black, Hupp, Daugherty, Vaughn, Deutsch
- Commissioner Haseeb Fatmi: Prill, Wilson, Aaron, Sliwinski, Zavala
- Commissioner Keith Shackleford: Sliwinski, Hupp, Falvey, Zavala, Wilson
- Commissioner Adam Wright: Sliwinski, Falvey, Zavala, Hupp, Black
Based upon these rankings, the five finalists were invited to appear before the board for individual interviews on February 3 at which time each candidate made opening statements, answered approximately 10 questions, and made a final statement.
Following the interviews, commissioners received ballots on which to cast their respective votes.
During rounds one and two, Commissioners Shackleford and Wright cast their votes for Sliwinski, while Commissioners Cross and Fatmi voted for Hupp and Falvey, respectively.
During the third and final round, Commissioner Cross again voted for Hupp, while Commissioner Fatmi joined Commissioners Shackleford and Wright in voting for Sliwinski, giving him the majority needed to secure the vacant board seat.
Sliwinski was sworn in following the vote and took his seat on the dais. His term commenced immediately and expires in December 2027.
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.