Let the people decide on Council vacancies

Council member Guy Guzzone has filed a bill (Council Bill 79-2006) for introduction on Oct. 3 that would ultimately fill early Council vacancies by election in conjunction with presidential year primaries and general elections. Under his bill, which implements a charter amendment overwhelmingly adopted at referendum in 2004, the relevant Central Committee would continue to fill any vacancy that occurs, but the choice of that Committee would no longer be entitled to sit as a Council member right past the next election and until the end of a four-year term. Instead, the voters of the district in which the vacancy occurred would get to elect their choice.
If all is normal, the hearing on this bill should occur on Monday, Oct. 16. Those who want the person who professes to represent them on the Council to actually be their choice would do well to turn out and testify on that night in the George Howard Building.
Is there any down side to this proposal? I can't think of any.
Sure, the Central Committees would lose some of their existing control over the Council replacement process. But they'd still be able to make the initial choice. But the final choice in the process would be made by vote of the people. Any extra cost would be minimized by holding the vacancy-filling election in conjunction with already existing elections. The will of the people and democracy would be the winner.