The City of Milford announced that the second special election planned for July 25, 2026, for an open seat on council for Ward 3 has been cancelled. This is the third time no one has filed to run for the seat which became vacant when Michael Stewart chose not to run.
The deadline to file was July 2 at 4:30 PM. No nominating petitions were received by the City Clerk’s Office by the deadline. The city will now repost a solicitation of candidates and schedule a third special election at a later date.
At the meeting where the July special election was announced, Councilman Jason James asked what would happen should no one file again. Solicitor Greg Morris stated that council can only appoint someone to the seat if it is for a term of less than 12 months.
“There’s certain requirements you have to do so many days before an election,” Morris said. “But you don’t have to wait an enormous amount of time. We would want, hopefully, to get it back on the table, get the notice out to the public and let them know there is a desperate need to have someone fill that chair down there.”
There is no requirement in the city charter that council members must own property. Renters who have lived in the third ward for at least one year are eligible to file to run. In addition, the minimum age to sit on council is 18. Candidates must not have been convicted of a felony and must be a United States citizen.
