The D.C. Democratic State Committee will select an interim At-Large councilmember to fill the seat vacated by D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson, it announced late last week. The date of the selection vote has been set for December 10.

The Home Rule Charter allows the local Democratic Party to appoint a councilmember who will serve until a special election is called; the special election has to be held between 70 and 174 days after the vacancy is formally declared by the D.C. Board of Elections.

According to a press release from the party, hopeful contenders can pick up nominating petitions tomorrow, on which they’ll need to get at least 200 signatures from registered Democrats in D.C., including 25 per ward and no less than 27 from the party’s elected membership. (Petitions are due by November 28.) Anyone can jump into the running, provided they have been both a D.C. resident and registered Democrat for the last year.

This will be the second time in as many years that the local Democratic Party has temporarily filled an At-Large vacancy on the council. In January 2011, it selected Sekou Biddle over Vincent Orange after three rounds of contested balloting; Orange ended up beating Biddle only four months later in the special election. The process itself was controversial—private ballots were used, contrary to party rules, and members of the council appeared in the middle of the voting to quietly lobby against Orange.

So far, there have been whispered rumors regarding who might take the At-Large seat, whether in the appointment process or during the special election. In September the Post reported that party chairwoman Anita Bonds is considering running, and yesterday that City Paper floated an exciting rumor: Councilmember Michael Brown (I-At Large), who was recently defeated by David Grosso, might run again, this time in the special election and as a Democrat.