On Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m., Scottsville Town Council will hold a special meeting to fill a Town Council seat vacated by Meredith Hynes in October.

Hynes resigned from the Council on Oct. 22, more than a year before her term is due to end on Dec. 31, 2025. When she did, the town had two options: Hold a special election for her seat, or appoint someone else to serve out the remainder of her term.

A special election would have cost the town around $14,000, so officials chose instead to appoint someone, Scottsville Mayor Ron Smith told Charlottesville Tomorrow in a phone call Monday afternoon. 

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Scottsville Town Council meets for a special session Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at Victory Hall, 401 Valley Street in Scottsville to appoint a new Council member to fill a seat vacated by Meredith Hynes. View the meeting agenda, and sign up to watch online, here.

Tuesday night, anyone who is interested in the seat can go to the meeting and express their interest to the Council. The Council will then enter a closed session to interview the hopefuls. Once that’s done, the Council will come back into a public session to vote on who to appoint.

Edward Payne Jr., who ran for Mayor and lost to Smith by just six of votes, has asked to be considered for the seat, said Smith. 

Payne currently serves on the Town Council, and his term is set to expire Dec. 31. In order to be appointed to serve out the remainder of Hynes’ term, he would have to resign from his current seat before Tuesday night’s meeting.

It’s unclear if he has. Payne did not immediately return Charlottesville Tomorrow’s request for comment Monday afternoon.

Molly Angevine, a Scottsville Planning Commissioner, has also asked to be considered.

Angevine ran as a write-in candidate for one of the three open Town Council seats in the Nov. 5 election. She was inspired to run after Hynes resigned, she told Charlottesville Tomorrow by phone Monday afternoon. With Hynes resigning and Aileen Morse rolling off the Council Dec. 31, Angevine realized the Council would be made up entirely of men come Jan. 1, 2025. 

“We were looking at seven council members, including the mayor, that were of one demographic,” Angevine said. “I really felt like what the Town Council has been needing is a little breath of fresh air.”

She said that she’s listened to a lot of community members in her capacity on the Planning Commission, and what she’s heard is that most of them love living in a small town — and she does, too.

“But I think we deserve a little more growth and movement in the town,” she said. “It can still keep its character, but have a measured growth going forward.” 

If selected to serve on Town Council, Angevine said she would prioritize communication among council members. She also wants to see more communication between the council, town residents, and the people who might not live in the town — and therefore can’t run for office or vote in town elections — but who work and shop there.

“There’s been a lot of squabbling here and there, and I think it has been to the detriment of moving ahead and making plans for how to revitalize this amazing town,” she said. 

Angevine said she will continue serving on the Planning Commission if she is not selected for Hynes’ seat.

If Payne does decide to resign from his seat in order to fill Hynes’, that would leave just three Town Councilors to vote, said Mayor Smith. 

Normally, the Council has six members. But with Hynes gone, that leaves five. If Payne resigns, that would leave just four — Aileen Morse, Alex Bessette, Bill Hyson, and Dan Gritsko. Gritsko is out of the country and unable to attend the meeting, Smith said.

That will leave the decision of who will fill Hynes’ seat up to Morse, Bessette, and Hyson. The mayor votes only in cases of a tie, and with three council members, there will be no tie Tuesday night.

Smith said he’s glad for it. 

“I like Molly and I supported her write-in candidacy,” Smith said. “But I like Eddie! We might have some different ideas of how things should go, but we’re great friends. It would have put me in a real hard position if I had to vote for one or the other.”