EVERETT — Shannon Affholter’s replacement on the City Council should be in place by late November, according to a plan outlined by Council President Jeff Moore.
Affholter on Oct. 3 announced his resignation at month’s end to take a job leading the region’s most influential home-builders group.
Over the next week, the city plans to accept applications from people interested in serving out the next year in Affholter’s soon-to-be-vacant seat, council Position 7.
“The term will extend through the November 2014 election,” Moore said Wednesday.
Applicants must be registered voters who are at least 18 years old and have lived in Everett for more than a year.
Hopefuls have until 5 p.m. next Thursday to send a resume and cover letter expressing their interest in the position to Everett City Clerk Sharon Fuller.
At the Oct. 30 council meeting, all qualified applicants will have up to five minutes to make public presentations. Afterward, the council plans to narrow the number of applicants to six, if the field is larger than that.
Finalist interviews are scheduled from 3 to 6 p.m. Nov. 13, before the regular council meeting. When the council meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. that night, members of the public have up to three minutes to speak about the qualifications of a preferred candidate. Then the council is scheduled to vote.
A swearing-in ceremony is expected at the regular Nov. 20 council meeting.
If the appointee wishes to stay in the seat for more than a year, he or she must run for election in 2014. That election will determine who serves out the final year remaining on Affholter’s term. Another election will follow, in 2015, for a four-year term.
“In essence, we’re going to have two general elections — one in 2014 and one in 2015,” Moore said.
The unusual schedule owes to Affholter’s departure halfway through his second council term. He won re-election in 2011.
Affholter is scheduled to begin his new job Nov. 5 as executive director of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties.
Considerations for the appointment may include geographical diversity on a council where most of the current members live in North Everett. Another factor could be gender, given that men occupy six of seven council seats.
Everett has filled two recent city council vacancies through a similar process.
In May 2012, the council chose businesswoman Gigi Burke to fill the late Councilman Drew Nielsen’s seat, following his death in a rafting accident. For the full term, voters in November 2012 elected Scott Bader, who works for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle.
This January, the council picked Scott Murphy, a city planning commissioner and operations chief for Everett-based Goldfinch Bros., to fill the seat of retired Councilman Arlan Hatloe. For the full term, Murphy faces Lowell Elementary School music teacher Jackie Minchew in next month’s general election.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
Everett City Council appointment, in brief
- Applicants: must be registered voters, over 18 years old, and have lived in Everett for more than year.
- Deadline: 5 p.m. next Thursday. Submit resumes and cover letters to the City Clerk’s Office, 2930 Wetmore Ave.
- Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m.: all qualified applicants to make short presentations during the regular council meeting, 3002 Wetmore Ave.
- Nov. 13, 3 to 6 p.m., Council Chambers: public interviews with finalists; council to vote at 6:30 p.m.
- Nov. 20, 6:30 p.m., Council Chambers: appointee swearing-in
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