The Council may remove any member of Council for failing or ceasing to possess any of the qualifications established by this Charter for his/her office or for the conviction while in office of any crime involving moral turpitude, upon the concurrence of at least five members of Council, but no such removal shall be made until the accused member shall have been given a written copy of the charges against him/her and an opportunity to be heard at a public hearing with at least ten days' notice of the time and place of such hearing.
Whenever the office of a Councilperson shall become vacant, the vacancy shall be filled by a majority vote of all the remaining members of the Council; and if the vacancy shall not be so filled within forty-five days, the Mayor shall fill it by appointment. Each Councilperson so elected or appointed to fill a vacancy shall hold office for the balance of the unexpired term or until the beginning of the term of a successor elected for the unexpired term as hereinafter provided. A successor shall be elected for the unexpired term at the next Municipal election if (a) such election shall occur more than two years prior to the expiration of the unexpired term, and (b) the vacancy shall have occurred more than one hundred twenty days prior to such election.
(Amended 5-8-73; 11-5-02.)