This month, the Vancouver City Council finished the process of filling a vacant seat with the election of Councilor Laurie Lebowsky. Soon, the city will embark on that yearlong process once again.
Councilor Alishia Topper was elected as Clark County treasurer this month, meaning she’s required to resign from the council before she assumes her new public office in January.
Topper submitted her resignation Monday.
“It’s a big change to move from city government into the county treasurer seat,” Topper said. “I’m very much looking forward to it, but I will also miss each and every one of you.”
Dec. 31 will mark Topper’s last day as a Vancouver City Council member. Three years remain in her term, which will be filled by a temporary appointment and followed by a special election.
As City Attorney Bronson Potter described, the vacancy process has five defined steps.
• Announcement of the vacancy.
• The application period.
• Selecting the candidates for interviews.
• The interviews.
• Nominations and appointment.
These steps were recently defined as part of a council policy review process earlier this year.
As Lebowsky did, the appointee will then need to seek election in November to serve the remainder of the term. At that time, other candidates can also run for the seat.
This time around, Lebowsky was challenged by four candidates in the primary, and she defeated Sarah Fox in the general election with 51.23 percent of the vote. Fox, who got 48.06 percent of the vote, said on election night that she would consider applying for the next council vacancy. Fox was one of the finalists, along with Lebowsky, who were interviewed by the council after the death of councilor-elect Scott Campbell.
The vacancy will be formally announced Nov. 26 by advertisements in local publications. The application period will open Nov. 30 and close at 5 p.m. Dec. 21.
Candidates will be asked to fill out an application and questionnaire, as well as a financial disclosure form known as an F-1, and submit a resume and any letters of reference.
The council will get all applications for review Dec. 26 and the list of applicants will be released Dec. 31.
Unlike last year, the applications will also be released Dec. 31 for public review and posted on the city’s website.
If more than 10 people apply for the open seat, the councilors will need to submit a list of preferred names by Jan. 3. The last vacancy garnered 56 applications. The councilors interviewed six finalists before making their pick.
The council will formally select the candidates for interview Jan. 7, but unlike last time, the candidates will not be interviewed on the same day. Interviews will take place beginning at 4 p.m. Jan. 14.
If the council is able to make a decision that evening, the new councilor would be sworn in Jan. 28.
