As OP mentioned, it’s not relevant since he retired, but the seat becomes vacant for a period, meaning one fewer member votes, and results may be affected. There’s generally some mechanism for filling the vacant seat, which can vary on timing (and state law). Generally a replacement can be appointed by the state governor, special elections are held if there is still a substantial term remaining, or the position is held by the appointee if an election is already imminent.

Cool, but tricky. It’d have the effect of simply contracting out loads of positions to sketchy labor companies

In fact, in a few certain situations you can actually purchase higher-end hardware than the pros use. UCI has restrictions on shape and weight that need not apply to non sanctioned riders, and there are improvements that are available in both aero and weight. Notably, Triathlon specific bikes are often markedly faster than UCI compliant bikes due to the aggressive aerodynamic optimization.