The city council of Burney Falls has taken action in response to the recent election in which the citizens of Burney Falls voted for a referendum to recall all of the council's seven members. Members of the council have filed a complaint alleging violations of local election rules, disputes over which are to be mediated by the city council. The city charter which governs all procedural matters in Burney Falls has a law stipulating that all voting members of the city council abstain from voting in cases in which any reasonable person might assume a conflict of interest.
Which one of the following represents the most reasonable inference that can be drawn from the information in the passage above?