Newly elected Clark County Councilor Sue Marshall is ready to get work. But Marshall began her term as the District 5 representative a little sooner than she and others expected.
Marshall was sworn in Wednesday afternoon, replacing outgoing Councilor Richard Rylander Jr.
“It was about 15 minutes, and I had my campaign manager there, my son, my husband, and (County Auditor) Greg Kimsey administered the oath,” Marshall said by phone Wednesday afternoon.
The county council members were still meeting in executive session at the time and were unable to attend.
Marshall said she learned of the swearing-in ceremony just that morning.
“I got a call from Greg Kimsey this morning, and he let me know what the situation was. It seems like it’s caught people by surprise,” she said.
Rylander, who was appointed to the council in April by Gov. Jay Inslee after Eileen Quiring O’Brien resigned, said he was one of those people caught off-guard. He said he only learned his term in office had come to a close that morning during the executive session meeting.
“At the start of the executive session, I was informed that someone had brought to the attention of (the county) that, based on my letter of appointment from Inslee, my appointment went through the vote certification (on Tuesday). Somebody must have paid attention,” Rylander said by phone Wednesday.
Rylander said it also appeared the county manager and attorneys from the prosecuting attorney’s office weren’t aware of the issue until Wednesday, either. He said he has been preparing for next week’s budget meetings and also has several board meetings scheduled this month. He wasn’t sure how those would be handled.
Marshall said she will spend the next few days preparing for the 2023 budget hearings on Monday and Tuesday. However, she will have to attend the hearings remotely because she already has a scheduling conflict.
“I’m scheduled to go up to Olympia. There’s a statewide training for people who are newly elected to county-level positions,” Marshall said. “It’s hard to be in two places at the same time, but I’ll do my best.”
Glen Yung, the District 1 councilor, and Michelle Belkot, the District 2 councilor, will be sworn in within the next few weeks, although the date has not yet been announced.
