FREDERICK, MD - How long should someone appointed by the mayor be able to serve in a temporary position before it becomes permanent?

That's the question the Frederick Board of Alderman and mayor are considering.

Life is busy for Frederick Mayor Randy McClement. He has to appoint an acting executive assistant and interim police chief. Now, the board of alderman wants McClement to have a time limit on how long it takes temporary positions to become permanent.

"The consequence of not addressing that could be that all of the positions required by the charter to have aldermanic approval could have an acting individual for four years," said Karen Young, (D), Frederick alderman.

"The last time the charter was updated in a complete overall was 1954, so there's a lot of things that changed in that time," says McClement (R). "When we discussed that, there was a complete 100 percent consensus, myself and the aldermen, that we needed to look at that level."

The mayor and board of aldermen think they're taking a step in the right direction. The mayor has called for a closed session next Monday on an appointment.

"I think over the next couple of days you will see a creative solution come forward that will allow us to address both the current situation and address the charter change in a more comprehensive manner," says Young.

McClement says the decision will affect how the city operates from here on out.

"It isn't about the current incident right now. It's about the way it should work for the next 50 years," says McClement.

The decision is expected to come within the next few weeks. The mayor and board of aldermen would like your input on changing their charter.

You can contact Mayor Randy McClement at rmcclement@cityoffrederick.com or the Frederick Board of Aldermen at aldermangroup@cityoffrederick.com.