One of the first challenges a Council appointee faces is staffing their office with the legislative aides and policy advisers who make City Hall run. Councilmembers can ask for staff members from city departments on temporary “loan” and sometimes, such as in Okamoto’s case, a staffer for the exiting councilmember might stick around to help. But staffing is ultimately the responsibility of the appointed councilmember and essential for success.
“It’s a very short period of time and you’ve got to get going quickly,” said Okamoto. “If the candidates don’t have staff in mind who have experience and knowledge, they’re going to take weeks or months to get up to speed.”
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