An effort to replace Patrick Flynn as chair of the Anchorage Assembly was unsuccessful late Tuesday when the clock ran out on a last-minute vote.
The leadership change proposal could come up again at the next regular Assembly meeting Dec. 16.
The nomination of vice-chair Dick Traini came from Assembly member Bill Starr, who made the motion with minutes left in the meeting. An agenda packed with issues ranging from a controversial liquor license transfer to a plan for access to Chugach State Park stretched the meeting to just before 11 p.m., when the Assembly is legally required to adjourn.
A secret ballot followed Starr's motion, with six votes required to select a new chair. But as municipal clerks were reviewing the ballots, time ran out, according to deputy municipal clerk Amanda Moser.
A motion by Starr to extend the meeting then failed, leaving open the question of leadership.
Typically, the Assembly rearranges its leadership in April after the municipal election. But because of a rewrite of municipal code several years ago, reorganization can technically happen at any time.
In an interview, Starr cited timing as a key issue for selecting new leadership, saying he wanted to avoid bringing on a new Assembly chair at the same time as a new mayor. He also noted a new budget will be taking effect in January.
The last chair selected in December was Flynn, who replaced Debbie Ossiander in 2009.
Flynn, who began his second term as chair in April when he replaced Ernie Hall, said in an interview Wednesday it is up to his fellow Assembly members to make leadership decisions.
"If my colleagues prefer a different chair, that's fine," Flynn said.
Starr said he wasn't targeting specific problems with Flynn's leadership.
"I don't want to beat on Patrick on his leadership style," Starr said. "The premise isn't anything vindictive."
He said he primarily nominated Traini because of the Midtown Assembly member's experience and procedural knowledge. It would be Traini's fourth term as chair; he served from 1993 to 1995, 2001 to 2005 and 2010 to 2011.
Traini, in a brief phone interview Wednesday, called the potential transition "no big deal."
"If they want me to do it, I'm happy to do it," Traini said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the year that Patrick Flynn replaced Debbie Ossiander as chair. It was 2009, not 2010.