Interested in joining the city council? Since Gerry Malella’s recent resignation, we are looking for applicants to fill the remainder of his term. If you live in the Kelso city limits, and east of I-5, you’re eligible to apply for the position.
We’re hoping to have applications in by June 1, and we are planning to have interviews that evening. You can find the application form on the city’s website.
We never know what we’re going to end up with when a council position becomes vacant. You might get a candidate with a good background in local government, or a person who’s never been inside city hall before. We’re fortunate to have four experienced individuals to consider for our latest council opening.
I found a copy of the paper from the day after I was appointed, and recalled that while the guys who interviewed against me for the position seemed friendly and dedicated, they generally didn’t have much knowledge about what’s involved in running a city. Thankfully, that won’t be a problem we face this week.
We have two recent councilmembers, Mark Chester and Jack Keolker, who have applied for the spot. The other two applicants, Rick Von Rock and Gary Schimmel, have both been attending council meetings regularly, Von Rock for well over a year.
Both former councilmembers were defeated in recent elections, Chester by Dan Myers in 2007, and Keolker by John Karnofski in 2005. I’ve heard thoughts in the past along the lines of, “If the citizens just said they don’t want this guy, why would we appoint them?” On the other hand, they have experience and are known factors in terms of how they relate to other members. The newcomers bring a fresh perspective and both have experience that could benefit a councilmember. Plus, they’ve already shown commitment by educating themselves on the position, with no requirement to do so.
As always, I’ll be looking for the one who I think will be able to mesh well with the rest of the council. I care less about their positions than how they express them.
The council will interview applicants for the position vacated by Alan Slater effective June 30. The interviews will take place on Monday, June 8, at 7 p.m., and anyone interested in the seat is requested to submit their applications by Friday, June 5.
Because Slater’s position represents the north ward, applicants must live north of Allen Street, between I-5 and the Cowlitz River. Applicants are also required to have lived in the Kelso city limits for the year prior to their appointment. Once appointed, the successful candidate will have to run in the general election in November to retain the seat through the remainder of Slater’s term, which ends in 2011.
Based on past history, councilmembers have valued community service and experience with governmental agencies when selecting replacement councilmembers. Personally, I hope to find an individual who is willing to work together in a genial manner, has an open mind, and can be supportive of decisions made by the council regardless of whether they got their way or not.
If you’re interested and meet the required qualifications, you can download the application below. I look forward to having a full slate of quality applicants.
Long-time councilmember Alan Slater surprised the council Tuesday night by announcing that he will step down from his position by the end of June. Al said that he’s facing a recurrence of cancer and wants to spend more time with his wife and grandchildren.
Alan is by far the senior member of the council, with more than 26 years in the position. That experience, coupled with his business background and friendly personality, has made him a valuable part of the group. He will be missed.
Alan serves in the north ward, so we will soon begin looking searching for a replacement from that area. Applicants will need to reside north of Allen Street, between the river and I-5.
After interviewing five applicants, the council selected Jerry Malella to fill the position left vacant by Joe Wheeler’s resignation. Mr. Malella, a retired educator, impressed the councilmembers with his long background in working with the public, and his support for airport growth and downtown development.
As I’ve mentioned when previous members have joined the council, the most important thing I hope any new member brings is willingness to work together cooperatively with the rest of the council. We’ve been fortunate to have a well-functioning body with mutual respect for each other’s positions in the past. I fully expect Mr. Malella will continue this tradition as we move forward.
The city received the first two applications for the East Kelso council position yesterday afternoon. The two individuals applying so far are James Webb and Bill Lehning. Webb is a sales manager for a chemical manufacturer who was also a candidate for my council position in last year’s election. Lehning is a retired educator, and no stranger to the local political scene, having served four years on the Kelso council and two terms on the county’s board of commissioners.
Application forms are still available on the city’s website, with a submission deadline of Thursday, May 8. The meeting to interview the candidates will be Monday, May 12.
Joe Wheeler resigned his position on the council this morning. The time commitment needed to be a councilmember can be tough to balance with other responsibilities, especially when you run a business like Joe does. Joe’s dedication, especially to improving our industrial area, will be missed on the council.
With the opening created by Joe’s resignation, the council will have to appoint a successor to his position representing the East Kelso ward. We are looking to complete that process in a reasonably quick fashion, requesting that interested candidates submit their application by Friday, May 8. I anticipate a special meeting on Tuesday, May 12 to interview selected applicants and probably make an appointment.
If you live in the city limits east of I-5 and are interested in having the council consider you for the open position, visit the city’s website for details and an application packet. We would love again to have the nice problem of too many well-qualified applicants for the position!
After interviewing four applicants, the council unanimously chose Rick Roberson to fill the council seat vacated by the resignation of former mayor Don Gregory. Rick was a councilmember from 1999 to 2001, so he brings some experience along with him. That experience was one of the key factors that gave him the nod in my book.
We were extremely fortunate to have a group of strong candidates for the position, and the decision to choose Rick was probably not as easy as the unanimous vote might have made it appear. Stephanie Sparks, an employee of the City of Longview, had no direct council experience, but had a great handle on how the city runs internally. She was also a very well-spoken candidate with a lot of enthusiasm about the future of Kelso, and the decision between these two candidates was a tough one for me. Not only that, but the other two candidates each had unique strengths that would have helped them be solid councilmembers as well.
When the council appoints a member, that person really only fills in until the next general election. If they want to continue beyond that point, they’ve got to run for the seat. That makes this appointment a mixed blessing, since Rick would need to win in a 2008 election to have the right to fill the seat for the remainder of the term, which expires one year after that! In other words, two campaigns in two years is what it will take to have the position long term. Stephanie Sparks stated she’s interested in running for the position, so the citizens will get the chance to make their own decision on which candidate is better. And that’s the way it should be.
The council will meet on Tuesday, January 29 to select a member to fill the council position vacant since Don Gregory’s resignation on December 31. Residents of the south ward were invited to apply for the position through January 25, and five took the opportunity to express their interest in the seat. Those five are Bob Smith, Stephanie Sparks, Leon Wheeldon, Rick Roberson and Edward Schamel. I haven’t had the opportunity to review the applications, so I don’t have all the information on each candidate, but I’m certain we will find a strong candidate to fill the vacancy.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the applicants, please join us in the council chambers on Tuesday night at 7:00. Councilmembers will interview the interested parties, and we’ll likely make our appointment before concluding the meeting.
 David Futcher & John Karnofski |
During our January 2 meeting, the council elected a new mayor and deputy mayor to serve the next two years. I was honored to be selected by my fellow councilmembers as their choice for mayor, and John Karnofski was unanimously selected as the deputy mayor, to serve in case I were to miss a meeting. Seeing as I haven’t missed any since joining the council, John looks to have a pretty easy path ahead of him!
Because our city uses the council-manager form of government, the additional responsibilities of being mayor are mostly chairing the council meetings and representing the city in various inter-governmental relationships. All of the administrative responsibilities are vested in the city’s manager, with the council, including the mayor, responsible for legislative, policy and budgetary decisions.
One area I hope to emphasize is continuing to improve communication between the council and citizens. This blog is just a start, and I will encourage fellow council members to continue the town hall meetings we’ve done the last year or two. I’ve also spoken with KLTV about possibly starting a live show that would give citizens a chance to call in and discuss questions with the mayor.
Kelso News