There shall be a personnel appeals board consisting of three members who shall be selected by the council, one each year for an overlapping term of three years. Each member of the personnel appeals board shall be a qualified elector, known to be in sympathy with the merit principle as applied to the civil service, shall neither hold nor be a candidate for any public office or employment and shall not be a member of any local, state or national committee of a political party or an officer in any partisan political club or organization. Its members shall serve without compensation.