Boca Raton to Temporarily Fill Vacant Council Seat, Citing Member’s Absences

Boca Raton city hall, Boca Raton, FL, Sept. 2024. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

Boca Raton will accept applications to fill a vacant council seat, reversing a previous decision due to what council members cited as repeated absences by a member.

Councilwoman Yvette Drucker stepped down from her seat on the city council at midnight Nov. 10 after being elected Palm Beach County clerk earlier this month, leaving the post open until it can be filled in the March municipal election. But council members have the option to fill the vacancy on a temporary basis by appointing a new member after accepting applications from residents. Initially, the council decided against filling the seat for five months, with several members stating they did not wish to influence the March election by choosing an appointee themselves. But in recent weeks, the collective minds of officials have changed, spurred by repeated absences by Councilman Jon Pearlman.

“I guess we need to address the elephant in the room,” said Councilwoman Stacy Sipple. “If council member Pearlman is not going to be showing up for meetings, three people are not fair to the people of Boca Raton. So we definitely need to appoint someone.”

Pearlman has joined some meetings by phone in recent months, but has not appeared in person in some time. He was not present at Tuesday’s work session meeting when the matter was discussed, however he joined Tuesday night’s meeting by phone shortly after it began. (Story updated at 6:23 p.m. Tuesday, during the meeting.) Pearlman did not respond to a request for comment from Boca Daily News.

“I agree with Ms. Sipple,” said Drucker, whose last meeting was Tuesday’s work session. “You know, the elephant in the room is that Mr. Pearlman has decided that he’s not attending these meetings, which is a real shame and really disappointing to the residents of this community.”

Council members then agreed to begin to open applications to fill Drucker’s unexpired term, and also agreed – in principle – to appoint an interim council member who is not running for a full term in order to avoid the appearance of favoring any candidates for the seat. While anyone – including candidates in the March election – can submit an application, their candidate status can be considered by existing council members as one of the parameters used to make the appointment.

Gavel (Credit: Brian Turner/Flickr)

“Being a candidate in March for either seat, or the other seat, doesn’t make someone legally ineligible for the temporary appointment,” said City Attorney Joshua P. Koehler. “Council would be considering that candidacy when deciding whom it wants to appoint. So candidates are free to run; council is free to choose whatever qualified applicant for the temporary seat that the council desires.”

Since four voting members – including Pearlman – remain on the governing body following Drucker’s resignation, three votes would be required to make a temporary appointment, Koehler said.

Interim City Manager James Zervis issued a memorandum proposal setting forth the details of the application process, which was agreed-upon by all of the members at the work session meeting.

Applications for the seat must be submitted online by Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026, no later than 5 p.m. Interviews will be conducted on Monday, Nov. 23, 2026, at the city council workshop meeting, immediately following the CRA Meeting scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. The council is then expected to vote on an appointment at their regular meeting the following night at 6 p.m.

To qualify for appointment, applicants must be at least 18 years old, a resident of the city of Boca Raton, and be registered to vote in the city. Eligible applicants can apply online at a form on the city’s website.