The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to re-appoint Heather Hutt as an interim replacement for former Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, despite objections from critics who called the move undemocratic.

Up at 11-1 vote, Hutt was elected to remain on the council through December 2024, representing the Ridley-Thomas district for the remainder of his unfinished term. Ridley-Thomas was removed from office last month after being convicted of federal corruption.

Hutt was first elected as an interim councilman for the 10th district in September. The decision to extend her term for another 20 months means the 10th, stretching from Koreatown to the Crenshaw Corridor, will likely last more than three years without voters electing their own representative.

Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez cast the only dissenting vote, saying the city should have called a special election and appointed Hutt as a non-voting janitor. Rodriguez said she had similar objections to the selection process last year, when Hutt was first elected.

“It’s being rushed through again. It’s not allowing a public trial again,” she said. “And it is devoid of democracy.”

Council President Paul Krekorian opposed those claims, saying the election for the Ridley-Thomas seat is already underway, with Hutt and several other candidates campaigning for the seat. Voters in the regularly scheduled March primaries will then have the power to weigh in, he said.

“If they don’t like the work Heather Hutt is doing, guess what? They don’t have to re-elect her. If they like her, they can re-elect her. That’s what the democratic process is,” Krekorian said. “But to disenfranchise this district for another six months and call an expensive special election would, to me, be disastrous for the people of the 10th district.”

During brief post-vote remarks, Hutt thanked the community and said she would “keep doing the job”.

Ridley-Thomas was suspected of conspiracy, bribery and fraud in October 2021. Shortly afterwards he was suspended by his colleagues. Karly Katona, his chief of staff at the time, was appointed as the district’s non-voting janitor for several months.

In February 2022, the council tapped former councilman Herb Wesson to serve as interim voting representative of the 10th, which includes neighborhoods like Leimert Park, Mid-City and West Adams. After a judge blocked that nomination, the board selected Hutt, a former legislative aide who unsuccessfully ran for the state assembly in 2021.

In recent days, three of Hutt’s rival attorney Grace Yoo, former city commissioner Aura Vasquez and city councilman Reggie Jones-Sawyer have called for a special election because the county’s residents have been pushing for too long with janitors and temporary replacements.

Yoo said two other districts, both in the San Fernando Valley, have had special elections in recent years. Others criticized councilors for saying the election would be too costly, and said the city should be willing to invest in democracy.

“Koreatown is a filthy mess. We don’t get services from the voters,” said Angie Brown, a resident of Koreatown. “And I’m starting with you to give us a fresh start.”

Hutt supporters thought otherwise, saying that Hutt had stabilized and served the district well. They argued that a special election would disenfranchise residents of the district, leaving them once again without a voting representative.

“[Hutt] did an excellent job,” said Billie Green, a former Wesson employee. “The community wants her back. I want her back.”