The Wildwood City Council voted Wednesday night to hire outside legal counsel to investigate whether a candidate elected in April is legally qualified to hold office.

Four sitting council members — Ed Marshall, Robert Mabry, Cliff Albers, and Joe Farmer — called the rare special meeting, held May 7 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. The sole agenda item cited Section 3.6 of the city charter, which gives the council power to judge its own members' qualifications and, if necessary, pursue forfeiture of office.

No candidate was named publicly at the meeting or in West Newsmagazine's May 8 report.

Three new council members won seats in the April 7 election: Phil Owen in Ward 1 (with 92 write-in votes after no one officially filed), Chris Means in Ward 5 (unopposed), and Tim Kummer in Ward 8 (defeating Michael Gillani with 52.5% of the vote).

What the Charter Says

Under Section 3.4(b), every council member must be a registered voter and resident of the ward they represent, and must have lived in that ward for at least one year before the election. Section 3.6 gives the council authority to subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, and require evidence. Any member facing forfeiture charges is entitled to a public hearing on demand, and removal requires a two-thirds vote of the full council. Decisions can be appealed in court.

What Comes Next

The identity of the special counsel has not been announced, and no timeline for the investigation or any potential hearing has been made public. Joe Farmer, serving as mayor pro-tem at the meeting, began to address the council's reasoning, but his full remarks were not available in published reports.

Residents who want to follow the process can watch council meetings livestreamed at cityofwildwood.com.