Sedona City Councilman John Martinez admitted that he was a little surprised when he heard his name mentioned.

During the Tuesday, June 28, Sedona City Council meeting, Mayor Sandy Moriarty nominated Martinez to fill the role following the recent resignation of Vice Mayor Mark DiNunzio. It was unanimously approved by the remainder of the council.

“Obviously I appreciate the nomination and vote of confidence,” he said after the meeting. “It’s not something I ever thought I’d be when I decided to run four years ago. I wasn’t expecting it so it was a very pleasant surprise.”

Since Martinez is up for reelection, council will take another vote following the general election as to its next vice mayor, which he would again be eligible for.

“Since being here I’ve watched vice mayors like Cliff Hamilton and Mark DiNunzio,” he said. “Those are some pretty big shoes to fill. If I do half as good of job as they did, I’ll be happy.”

According to City Clerk Susan Irvine, the city will not be replacing DiNunzio’s seat on the council prior to the upcoming election.

“We are not required to do this since the vacancy did not occur more than 30 days before the nomination petition deadline,” she said. “He would have been replaced during this fall’s election cycle anyway, so we will just await the election. In the meantime, we will have six on council until the new council is seated in November or December.”

There is little in the city code regarding the role of vice mayor. But under the council rules of procedure it states:

“At the first meeting of the council following an election, the council shall designate one of its members as vice mayor, who shall serve at the pleasure of the council. The vice mayor shall have the powers to perform the duties of the mayor during his/her absence or disability. In addition, the mayor may delegate any of his/her ministerial duties to the vice mayor, including but not limited to, attendance and participation on non-city boards and committees.”

In regard to her decision to nominate Marinez, Moriarty later said, “Councilor Martinez was my choice for vice mayor for many reasons. He has served on council for nearly four years, he is very active in the community, he is familiar with council rules and protocol and he is always very respectful of everyone. I have enjoyed working with him, and I’m sure he will do a great job as vice mayor.”